sometimes a very spacious chamber to accommodate guests at a more
extensive banquet than could be held in the triclinium. Here it is
broad but not deep. The upper part of the walls white, the dado black,
and the intervening spaces red and black surmounted by a rich
architecturally-painted entablature. It consists of architrave, frieze,
and cornice. The architrave, or lower portion, green with white
garlands; the frieze above this is purple having red panels bordered
with yellow, and producing a capital effect; and yellow figures of
Sirens, or winged female monsters, which uphold a bold projecting
cornice. The perspective delineation of this cornice, with its supports,
is very remarkable, especially that of the central projection; a similar
boldness of perspective drawing may be seen in Pitt. Erc., vol. iii., p.
109, where the fullest knowledge is evinced of the distribution of light
and shade.
The black and red divisions of these walls have large broad devices in
green and red upon them. The central picture is a collection of silver
vessels lined with gold, the variety of forms are well worthy of
attention. The pavement of this apartment is inlaid from patterns well
known at Pompeii. Zahn, vol. ii., pl. 87.