House of the Faun

The mosaics of the House of the Faun represent the most precious part of the Neapolitan collection in terms of quality and figurative variety and the fame which followed its discovery. The splendid works on display include the famous “mosaic of Alexander”, depicting the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III.

History and formation Found in Pompeii between 1830 and 1832, the mosaics from the House of the Faun (VI, 12, 2) represent some of the most important mosaics to survive from antiquity. In subsequent years, until 1840, the mosaics were removed from the original site for conservation reasons before being displayed in the rooms where they are still on view, arranged especially for the Real Museo Borbonico.RouteRooms LX, LXI and LXIII of the Museum are devoted to the archaeological complex which would form the most important part of the collection of mosaics: the house of the Faun in Pompeii. This large aristocratic residence, dating to the second half of the second century BC, has produced a gallery of Hellenistic paintings in stone, including the most famous mosaic to survive from antiquity, the Mosaic of Alexander, a copy of a famous Hellenistic painting, perhaps the work of Philoxenos of Eretria, on the floor of the exedra, the large, elegant room situated between the two peristyles, now on display in room LXI, depicting the battle between Alexander the Great on horseback and Darius III, fleeing in his chariot. The original cultural inspiration of the decoration of the domus is further reinforced by the splendid mosaic with a Nilotic scene from the threshold of the exedra, now in room LX; while a series of emblemata, or “small paintings” with subjects of generally Hellenistic type, were placed in the rooms around the atrium, such as the marine scene with fish, also on display in room LX. Another exhibit of immense interest is the so-called “Dancing Faun”, on display in the same room; this elegant bronze statuette originally decorated the impluvium of the atrium. The two display cases in room LXIII contain jewellery from the House of the Faun, including a pair of gold bracelets in the form a snake’s body, and small furnishings, including a bronze brazier and a food-warmer. Hanging on the wall are four decorative slabs with a Nereid on a seahorse taken from the first peristyle of the house.