The tomb belongs to a sector of the Necropolis, outside the visiting area (A), excavated by Guido Calza in the late 1930s, and later reburied for conservation problems after removal of the painted, marble, and mosaic decoration. In the specific case, the painted false cross-vaulted ceiling, decorated with Mercury at the centre and with vases and gorgon heads in the corners, was removed and then placed in Museo Ostiense; the exterior part depicts the genii of the Seasons. The figured field above the side niches, intended for columbaria, is adorned with web-footed birds and amphorae. A peacock is depicted in the basin of the niche in the right wall. The tomb, whose volume and internal articulation with painted decoration is known only from a drawing published by Calza, is dated to the second half of the 2nd century AD.
Painted decoration of the vault
(Depositi Ostiensi)
Reconstruction of the tomb’s painted decoration
(G. Calza, 1940)
Detail of the painted decoration of the wall niche with peacock
Detail of the vault’s painted decoration
Detail of the vault’s painted decoration