imitation of the masses of light and shade, and with careful attention
to the smallest detail. In the Museo Borbonico, on the contrary, the
style of engraving fails to render any one of the peculiarities of
their execution. Many vignette landscapes are characteristically copied
in vol. ii. of Gell’s Pompeiana, but they have not the completeness or
richness of the Pitture d’Ercolano. Some curious illustrations of the
social life of the Pompeians may be found in a series of pictures
representing the ancient Forum of that city, thronged with the same
variety of people that may be seen in the market places of Naples and
other Italian cities, all occupied in similarly varied occupations of
buying and selling, talking and idling; they supplied Bulwer with
several incidents for his description, and have been engraved in vol.
iii., page 213 to 231 of Pitture d’Ercolano.
Notwithstanding the frequent occurrence elsewhere of ancient paintings
inscribed with the names of persons they are intended to represent,
scarcely any instances have been met with in the cities overwhelmed by
Vesuvius. The word DIDV is written in one picture in white characters
near the head of a figure. The fragment was found at Stabiæ; it is
engraved in vol. iii., page 231, of Pitture d’Ercolano. On the
celebrated marble slab, monochrome drawings by Alexander of Athens; the
artist has not only inscribed his own name, but those of the five
females in his composition. It represents the visit of Niobe and her
daughters to Latona. This picture was found at Herculaneum, May 24,