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Before Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, Pompeii was a thriving commercial town, one of several around the Bay of Naples that prospered from trade in wine, olive oil, seafood, and the abundant fruits and vegetables that grew in the region's rich volcanic soil. The temperate climate so favorable to agriculture also attracted vacationing Romans who enjoyed the bay's natural beauty and hot springs as well as the lingering Greek culture around Naples, a former Greek colony. In the first century BC and the first century AD, when the works of art in this exhibition were created, the Bay of Naples was Rome's most fashionable resort. Julius Caesar, emperors, senators, and other prominent Romans all owned sumptuous villas built along its shores. High season was in the spring when the Senate was in recess.
The demand for paintings, sculpture, and luxurious decorative arts to adorn the vast seaside villas lured artists and artisans from far and wide. Those engaged by villa owners could easily find additional clients among the well-to-do residents of Pompeii, where houses were decorated in a fashion similar to that of the villas, although on a smaller scale. The works of art acquired by both villa owners and townspeople reflect their shared artistic tastes and cultural ideals, particularly a reverence for ancient Greece, which was seen as a golden age.
The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art in association 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
The exhibition in Washington is made possible by The Exhibition Circle of the National Gallery of Art
Bank of America is proud to be the national sponsor
The exhibition in Washington is also supported by The Charles Engelhard Foundation and by Mary and Michael Jaharis
It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities
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