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The eruption of Vesuvius in ad 79 brought an end to this pleasurable life. Herculaneum and all but the highest parts of Pompeii were buried beneath tons of volcanic debris, as were the surrounding villas. Cities farther away were largely unaffected, but the towns and villas in the shadow of Vesuvius were abandoned and mostly forgotten until their discovery in the eighteenth century. Systematic excavations began at Herculaneum in 1738 and ten years later at Pompeii. In the following decades, archaeologists tunneling through solidified mud at Herculaneum found the Villa dei Papiri and brought to light more than eighty statues and about one thousand ancient papyri inscribed with Greek and Latin texts. The publication of these finds spawned a rage for antique styles, and reproductions of antiquities became a major industry that continued throughout the nineteenth century. Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. in associa- tion with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with the cooperation of the Direzione Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici della Campania and the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei. lacma is grateful to Bank of America for its support of this exhibition. The Los Angeles presentation was made possible in part by lacma's Wallis Annenberg Director's Endowment Fund. In-kind media support was provided by kcrw 89.9 fm. The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. 4 Feature TO WATCH A SLIDESHOWOF WORKS FROM THIS EXHIBITION VISIT LACMA.ORG. For Romans of the first century ad, the golden age of Greece, especially Athens of the age of Pericles some 500 years earlier, held special meaning. Through references to ancient Greek authors such as the epic poet Homer as well as Athenian dramatists and philosophers, Roman aristocrats demonstrated their sophistication. By filling their homes and villas with artworks either imported from Greece or newly produced in Greek styles, or by naming their residences after Greek sites, they showed themselves to be cultured. This emulation of Greece was not limited to mere copying. The Romans also adapted Greek styles, transforming subjects and forms to suit their needs. Thus, attractive statue types might be refashioned as lamp stands, or sacred scenes turned into decorative panels—all designed to please Roman patrons and enhance their status. The exhibition opens with the people who occupied houses and villas around the Bay of Naples, the "Patrons and Proprietors." We know from ancient writers that the natural beauty, favorable climate, and agricultural wealth of the region made it prosperous long before it came under the control of Rome. In fact, Greeks colonized this area, as they did much of southern Italy. By the first century bc wealthy Romans built luxury retreats there, much as modern New Yorkers have acquired second homes in the Hamptons. The statesman Cicero wrote fondly of his country homes at Pompeii, Baiae, and Puteoli, and Julius Caesar had a seaside villa at Baiae, at the north end of the bay. Here, away from the obligations of the city, statesmen could indulge in leisure (otium), as opposed to business (negotium). At the beginning of the first century ad, the geographer Strabo would describe the villas stretching along the coast as "one continuous city," and numerous ancient paintings recovered from excavations give us a glimpse of luxurious homes overlooking the water. Sumptuous villas had vast gardens and elegant courtyards, with swimming pools and/or fishponds that supplied delicacies for extravagant banquets held in seasonal dining rooms. Façades were lined with colon- naded walkways offering sweeping vistas of the sea, while terraces led down to private harbors for pleasure boats. The second section of the exhibition, "Taste for the Antique," provides a glimpse of the rich art collections formed by villa owners and residents of the nearby towns. These demonstrate their shared artistic tastes and cultural ideals, particularly a reverence for Greece, which Rome conquered in 146 bc, spurring a fascination with that country's illustrious past. Roman generals and governors brought back to Italy masterpieces of Greek art to adorn public and private spaces, inspiring their countrymen to purchase works in various Greek styles. Knowledge of Greek culture was a status symbol and mark of discernment. A portrait of Homer or reliefs depicting episodes from the Trojan War conveyed appreciation of Greek literature and history, while busts of the fourth-century bc playwright Menander suggested enthusiasm for Athenian theater. Some of the finest works of art were carved in imported Greek marble; others were ordered from Greece or created by Greek artists who had moved to the Bay of Naples, attracted by the opportunities afforded by the wealthy patrons. But most collectors seem to have relied on local artists familiar with Greek models. The works of art they commissioned between the first century bc and the first century ad, either for their own collections or for public display, were made in styles from various periods. A statue of Aphrodite from Puteoli reflects the influence of classical Greek art of the later fifth century bc in the goddess's remote expression and the virtuoso handling of her garment, which falls in delicate, rippling folds. A marble panel painted with the battle between a Greek, perhaps the Athenian hero Theseus, and a centaur echoes the sculpture of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in subject and composition, while its style and technique, with masterful shading and highlighting, seem to reflect the lost paintings of ancient Greek masters. Domestic interiors and gardens are another feature of the exhibition. Roman houses and villas were lavishly decorated, their walls sheathed with colorful frescoes representing mythological scenes, and boasted land- scapes with views of the bay and the villas lining its shores, luxurious gardens, and still lifes celebrating local delicacies from the sea and the land made fertile by the rich volcanic soil. Furnishings included marble tables and bronze lampstands, some in the form of statues. In the grander houses, guests drank wine from silver cups decorated with olives, vine leaves, or episodes from familiar myths. Dining rooms, or triclinia—so called because they contained three couches on which guests reclined while eating—were often painted with scenes from Greek mythology. Excavations at the site of Moregine, south of Pompeii, have uncovered an intrigu- ing building complex, perhaps a villa, or maybe an inn or the headquarters of a business. Frescoes on the walls of one of its dining rooms—only recently conserved and a highlight of the exhibition—show the god Apollo, patron of the arts, flanked by the Muses. Their presence would have reminded guests of the pleasures of intellectual and creative conversation, the ideal at Roman banquets. Meanwhile, gardens in and around the villas were accented with aviaries, fountains, and marble or bronze figures that spurted water into pools and watercourses. Houses in Pompeii itself were generally much smaller, but townspeople shared the villa owners' love of gardens. Even in modest houses, a little garden might be tucked into the courtyard and embellished with sculpture. Actual gardens were sometimes "extended" with frescoes of plants and birds. Portraits of Greek thinkers and writers were also on display in these places for contem- plation and learning. Some were meant to echo intellec- tual retreats, such as Plato's Academy, and in a mosaic from one house in Pompeii Plato himself appears, surrounded by philosophers at his school in a grove outside Athens. The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 brought an end to this pleasurable life. Top Left: Kantharos Entwined with Olive Branches, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, images © Fotografica Foglia, Alfredo and Pio Foglia Top Right: F loating Maenad, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, photography © Luciano Pedicini Bottom: Dionysos with kantharos and maenad, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, photography © Luciano Pedicini

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