Bronzes from the Villa dei Papiri
On this page are 15 of the bronze reproductions whose originals were found at the Villa dei Papiri, a large villa just outside Herculaneum likely built in the first century BCE. The Villa was excavated in the eighteenth century by Karl Weber and architectural features, mosaic floors, wall paintings, sculptures, coins, and a large library of Greek and Latin papyri (for which the Villa was named), primarily of the Epicurean philospher Philodemus, were among the many finds. The bronzes are organized here by findspot within the Villa. Hover over the thumbnails to see the objects' names and click on them to learn more - included with each bronze is a plan of the Villa with the bronze's findspot marked with a red star. The plan was adapted from Wojcik 1986, plate 3.
These three fountain statues were found around the pool in the atrium of the Villa.
This statue of a faun was found in a niche on the western wall of the atrium.
This bust of Metrodorus, a friend of Epicurus, was found in a room south of the tablinum.
These two busts, one depicting Livia or Agrippina and the other depicting Demosthenes, were found in the tablinum of the Villa.
These four busts - depicting Zeno, Demosthenes, Hermarchus, and Epicurus - were found in a room north of the Villa's tablinum.
This statue of Hermes was found at the western end of the Villa's garden.
This statue of a praying girl was found in garden's northwest corner.
These two fountain statues, a pair of mirrored Cupids holding dolphins, were found in a room west of the Villa's garden.