Cleopatra Painting in Pompeii May Copy Statue in Venus Genetrix Temple

Summary: Marcus Fabius Rufus house's hidden Cleopatra painting in Pompeii may copy a statue in the Venus Genetrix Temple, Rome, dedicated in 46 BCE by Caesar.

The painting of Cleopatra and her first son, Caesarion, depicted as Roman goddess Venus in her maternal aspect as Venus Genetrix (Latin: Genetrix, "mother, ancestress") with son, Cupid, has been likened to the lost statue of Cleopatra installed in the Temple of Venus Genetrix for Julius Caesar's Sep. 26, 46 BCE, dedication of the temple and his namesake forum, Forum Iulium (Forum of the Iulius; also Forum Caesaris, Forum of Caesar), in Rome; room 71, House of Marcus Fabius Rufus (Marco Fabio Rufo), Pompeii; created via UploadWizard, Saturday, April 19, 2008, 13:52: PericlesofAthens, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marcus Fabius Rufus house's hidden Cleopatra painting in Pompeii may copy a statue in the Venus Genetrix Temple that Julius Caesar dedicated at his namesake forum in Rome in September 46 BCE.

The painting of a Mother With Child that is hidden behind a later-dated wall in Pompeii's House of Marcus Fabius Rufus represents Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ, Kleopatra Philopator; ca. 69-Aug. 10 or 12, 30 BCE) as Venus Genetrix (Venus the Mother) and her first child, Ptolemy XV Caesar Philopator Philometor (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Καῖσαρ Φιλοπάτωρ Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaios Kaisar Philopator Philometor, "Ptolemy Caesar, Beloved of his Father, Beloved of his Mother"; 47-30 BCE), known as Caesarion (Ancient Greek: Καισαρίων, Kaisarion, "Little Caesar"), as Venus's son, Cupid, according to archaeologist Susan Walker (born Sep. 11, 1948) in "Cleopatra in Pompeii?", published in the November 2008 issue of Papers of the British School at Rome (page 35). The dedication of his Forum Iulium (Forum of the Iulius; Julius Caesar's paternal gens Iulia lineage) and Temple of Venus Genetrix, with adjacent statues of Venus and Cleopatra, on Sep. 26, 46 BCE, in Rome by Roman general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12 or 13, 100-March 15, 44 BCE) most likely inspired the painting in Pompeii.

The location of the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus (Marco Fabio Rufo) is specified as Regione VII (region one), Insula 16 (block 16), Domus (house number) 22. Italian architect Giuseppe Fiorelli (June 7, 1823-Jan. 28, 1896), who supervised excavations of the ancient city from 1860 to 1875, devised the methodology of precise identification with a set of three numbers. He divided Pompeii into nine regions (Latin: regiones), numbered from I (1) to IX (9) in Roman numerals. Each region (Latin: regio) subdivided into blocks (Latin: insula, "block"; insulae, "blocks") that are distinguished by Western Arabic numerals beginning with 1 upward. Western Arabic numerals from 1 upward are assigned to building entrances in each insula.

The occurrence of House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Regio VII places the dwelling in the southern half of Insula Occidentalis (western insula), which comprises Regio VI and Regio VII in the city's western sector. Via della Fortuna Augusta and Via Marina define Regio VII's northern and southern boundaries, respectively, according to Peter and Michael Clements' website, AD79 (AD79 > Pompeii > Regio VII).

Regio VII counts 16 insulae. The House of Marcus Fabius Rufus occupies Insula 16, which mixes commercial and domestic sites and marks Regio VII's western extent. Vico del Farmacista and Vico dei Soprastant trace Insula 16's eastern limit (AD79 > Pompeii > Regio VII > Tour of Regio VII).

Insula 16 numbers 22 entrances. Number 22 is assigned to the vast, multilevel House of Marcus Fabius Rufus.

The imposing dwelling projects vertically over at least four levels. Western façade terraces offer panoramic views of the Bay of Naples (Italian: baia di napoli; also golfo di Napoli, "Gulf of Naples").

A room number system used by historian Masanori Aoyagi and classical archaeologists Mario Grimaldi and Umberto Pappalardo has assigned 71 to a cubiculum (Latin: cubō, "lie down" + -culum, diminutive suffix) in the southwestern corner of the first lower floor in the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus. Room 71 faces west toward a corridor (72) and a grand salon (74) with sea views, as described by Susan Walker (page 38).

An excavational discovery of an enclosure behind Room 71's seeming east wall slightly enlarges the cubiculum and reveals a hidden, motherly portrait that reaches to the barrel vaulted wall's springs or springlines, i.e., the arch's rising points from vertical supports. Analyzed as Cleopatra and Caesarion posed as maternal Venus with Cupid, the high-quality portrait might signal the room's use as a shrine rather than a sleeping room (page 38).

The long-necked setting of the elegant female's aquiline nose and deep-set rounded eyes in a round face evoke facial features in Ptolemaic and Roman Alexandrian deific depictions (page 40). The head of the painting's goddess-Ptolemaic queen closely resembles a marble head discovered during 1783-1784 excavations at the Villa of the Quintilii (Italian: Villa dei Quintili), an ancient Roman villa sited between Via Appia Antica and Via Appia Nuova. The marble head represents Cleopatra and replicates her statue in Forum Iulium's Temple of Venus Genetrix, according to identifications that Susan Walker (page 40) credits to German archaeologist Ludwig Curtius (Dec. 13, 1874-April 10, 1954) in ""Ikonographische Beiträge zum Porträt der Römischen Republik und der Julisch-Claudischen Familie," published in Römische Mitteilungen in 1933 (pages 182-192).

The inspiration for the painted and sculpted likenesses has disappeared in two millennia that have elapsed since the statue's dedication Sep. 26, 46 BCE. Also, no helpful, specific descriptions of the statue exist.

Caesar ". . . placed a beautiful image of Cleopatra by the side of the goddess, . . ." (HR XIV, BCII.X.102, page 417), assessed Greek-born, later Roman citizen, writer Appian of Alexandria (Ancient Greek: Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Appianòs Alexandreýs; ca. 95-ca. 165 CE) in the De Bellis Civilibus (Of the Civil Wars) section of his Greek-language, 24-volume work, Historia Romana (Roman History).

Cleopatra ". . . is seen in gold in the shrine of Venus," noted Roman historian Lucius Cassius Dio (ca. 155-235 CE), known as Dio Cassius, in Roman History (Ῥωμαϊκὴ Ἱστορία, Historia Romana), his historical compendium of ancient Rome, written in Greek (Dio's Roman History, Vol. VI, Book LI.22, page 65).

Unfortunately, reconstruction of the lost statue of Cleopatra requires more than the admiring details of "beautiful" and "golden." Yet, imagination may glimpse the lost statue in associative artworks, such as the Pompeiian painting and the Quintilii marble head.

The marble bust of Cleopatra VII found during excavations at the Villa of the Quintilii has been likened to the lost statue of Cleopatra that Julius Caesar commissioned for the Temple of Venus Genetrix that was included in his namesake forum in Rome; the ca. 40-30 BCE bust is displayed in the Vatican Museum's (Musei Vaticani) Gregorian Profane Museum (Museo Gregoriano Profano); Friday, May 9, 2008, 14:11: Sergey Sosnovskiy (Ancientrome.ru), CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

The painting of Cleopatra and her first son, Caesarion, depicted as Roman goddess Venus in her maternal aspect as Venus Genetrix (Latin: Genetrix, "mother, ancestress") with son, Cupid, has been likened to the lost statue of Cleopatra installed in the Temple of Venus Genetrix for Julius Caesar's Sep. 26, 46 BCE, dedication of the temple and his namesake forum, Forum Iulium (Forum of the Iulius; also Forum Caesaris, Forum of Caesar), in Rome; room 71, House of Marcus Fabius Rufus (Marco Fabio Rufo), Pompeii; created via UploadWizard, Saturday, April 19, 2008, 13:52: PericlesofAthens, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Venus_and_Cupid_from_the_House_of_Marcus_Fabius_Rufus_at_Pompeii,_most_likely_a_depiction_of_Cleopatra_VII_(2).jpg

The marble bust of Cleopatra VII found during excavations at the Villa of the Quintilii has been likened to the lost statue of Cleopatra that Julius Caesar commissioned for the Temple of Venus Genetrix that was included in his namesake forum in Rome; the ca. 40-30 BCE bust is displayed in the Vatican Museum's (Musei Vaticani) Gregorian Profane Museum (Museo Gregoriano Profano); Friday, May 9, 2008, 14:11: Sergey Sosnovskiy (Ancientrome.ru), CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cleopatra_VII,_Marble,_40-30_BC,_Vatican_Museums_001.jpg; Sergey Sosnovskiy, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Ancientrome.ru @ http://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=6364

For further information:

Allison, Penelope. "Review: M. Grimaldi, Pompei: La Casa di Marco Fabio Rufu (Collana Pompei 2); M. Grimaldi, Pompei: Il Foro Civile Nella Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia di G. Fiorelli (Collana Pompei 3)." The Journal of Roman Studies, vol. 107 (2017): 346-348.
Available via Cambridge CORE @ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-studies/article/abs/m-grimaldi-pompei-la-casa-di-marco-fabio-rufo-collana-pompei-2-naples-valtrend-editore-2014-pp-388-illus-isbn-9788888623788-17000-m-grimaldi-pompei-il-foro-civile-nella-pompeianarum-antiquitatum-historia-di-g-fiorelli-collana-pompei-3-naples-valtrend-editore-2015-pp-255-illus-isbn-9788888623351-13500/665F3C7B4FCCB0B5825B9D8F0FD052AE
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/26576059
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/e26576041

Aoyagi, Masanori; and Umberto Pappalardo. Pompei (Regiones VI-VII) Insula Occidentalis. Collana Pompei, volume primo. Napoli: Valtrend Editore, 2006.

Archaeological Park of Pompeii. "House of Marcus Fabius Rufus and the Golden Bracelet." Archaeological Park of Pompeii > Pompeii > Regiones > Region VII.
Available @ http://pompeiisites.org/en/archaeological-site/house-of-marcus-fabius-rufus-and-the-golden-bracelet/

Bellomo, M. (Mariangela); and S. (Salvatore) D'Agostino. "Excavation, restoration and conservation of archaeological sites -- Villa dei Quintili on the Appia Antica in Rome." WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, vol. 42 (1999): 451-460.
Available via WIT Press @ https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/STR99/STR99044FU.pdf

The British Museum. "Coin Sabina Augusta Veneri Genetrice." The British Museum > Collection.
Available @ https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_R-12360

Ciardiello, Rosaria. "VI 17 Insula Occidentalis 42 Casa del Bracciale d’Oro." In: Massanori Aoyagi and Umberto Pappalardo, eds., Pompei (Regiones VI-VII) Insula Occidentalis. Collana Pompei, volume primo. Napoli: Valtrend Editore, 2006.
Available via Academia @ https://www.academia.edu/es/4224088/VI_17_Insula_Occidentalis_42_Casa_del_Bracciale_dOro_in_Pompei_Regiones_VI_VII_Insula_Occidentalis_Tokyo_2006

Clarke, John R. "Pompei. La Casa di Marco Fabio Rufo. Collana Pompei, vol. 2." Bryn Mawr Classical Review, February 2015.
Available @ https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2015/2015.02.37/

Clements, Peter. "House of M. Fabius Rufus: Description of the House (Reg VII, Ins 16, 17-22)." AD79 Destruction and Re-Discovery > Map of Pompeii.
Available @ https://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/pompeii/regio-vii/reg-vii-ins-16/house-of-m-fabius-rufus

Clements, Peter. "Marina Gate." AD79 Destruction and Re-Discovery > Pompeii > The City Gates.
Available @ https://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/pompeii/the-city-gates/marina-gate

Clements, Peter. "Regio VII." AD79 Destruction and Re-Discovery > Excavations at Pompeii > Map of Pompeii > (c) Notable Private Houses > Rufus (House of M. Fabius).
Available @ https://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/pompeii/regio-vii

Curtius, Ludwig. "Ikonographische Beiträge zum Porträt der Römischen Republik und der Julisch-Claudischen Familie: IV Kleopatra VII. Philopator." Römische Mitteilungen, band 48 (1933): 182-192.

de Caro, Stefano; Roberto Cassanelli; Pier Luigi Ciapparelli; Enrico Colle; and Massimiliano David. Houses and Monuments of Pompeii: The Work of Fausto and Felice Niccolini. Los Angeles CA: J. Paul Getty Museum.

Di Maio, Rosa; Ester Piegari; Cecilia Mancini; and Antonella Chiapparino. "Quantitative analysis of pulse thermography data for degradation assessment of historical buildings." EPJ Plus The European Physical Journal Plus, vol. 130, no. 6 (June 2015), article no. 105.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277414313_Quantitative_analysis_of_pulse_thermography_data_for_degradation_assessment_of_historical_buildings

Dunn, Jackie and Bob. "VII.16.17-22 Pompeii. December 2007. Looking east into cubiculum. East wall concealing hidden wall with a painting of a woman standing in a doorway." Pompeii in Pictures > Pompeii Regio VII.
Available @ http://www.pompeiiinpictures.com/pompeiiinpictures/r7/7%2016%2022%20p6.htm

Dunn, Jackie and Bob. "VII.16.22 Pompeii. Casa di Fabio Rufo or House of M Fabius Rufus. Linked to VII.16.17, VII.16.20 and VII.16.21. Excavated 1759, 1910, 1940, 1958-1980. Shown as number 19 on Eschebach site plan. Also includes the inside pictures of VII.16.17 Casa di Maius Castricius." Pompeii in Pictures > Pompeii Regio VII.
Available @ http://pompeiiinpictures.com/pompeiiinpictures/R7/7%2016%2022%20p1.htm

Elderkin, G.W. (George Wicker). "The Venus Genetrix of Arcesilaus." American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 42, no. 3 (July-September 1938): 371-374.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/499346

Grimaldi, Mario. "VII 16 Insula Occidentalis 22." In: Massanori Aoyagi and Umberto Pappalardo, eds., Pompei (Regiones VI-VII) Insula Occidentalis. Collana Pompei, volume primo. Napoli: Valtrend Editore, 2006.

Grossi, Olindo. "The Forum of Julius Caesar and the Temple of Venus Genetrix." Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, vol. 13 (1936): 215-220+2.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/4238590

Jane Sancinito, PhD @JaneSancinito. "Broke: Low ponytail Woke: Imitating the style of Roman Empress Sabina Augusta." Twitter. Nov. 8, 2019.
Available @ https://twitter.com/JaneSancinito/status/1192833603773714432

Jashemski, Wilhelmina F. (Feemster). The Gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the Villas Destroyed by Vesuvius. Volume 2: Appendices. New Rochelle NY: Aristide D. Caratzas, 1993.

Lucius Cassius Dio. ". . . . Thus Cleopatra, though defeated and captured, was nevertheless glorified, inasmuch as her adornments repose as decorations in our temples and she herself is seen in gold in the shrine of Venus." Book LI.22, pages 62-65. Dio's Roman History, vol. VI. With an English Translation by Earnest Cary, Ph.D. On the Basis of the Version of Herbert Baldwin Forster, Ph.D. Loeb Classical Library LBL 175. First printed 1917. Reprinted 1955. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA Harvard University Press, MCMLV [1955].
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/diosromanhistory06cassuoft/page/62/mode/1up

Marriner, Derdriu. "Beware the Ides of March: The Assassination of Julius Caesar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 3, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/beware-ides-of-march-assassination-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Beware the Ides of March Meal: Caesar or Brutus Salad, Cleopatra's Dulcis Coccora, Caesar Cocktail." Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 10, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/beware-ides-of-march-meal-caesar-or.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesar Commissioned Gilt Statue of Cleopatra for Venus Genetrix Temple." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 22, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/caesar-commissioned-gilt-statue-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesar Salad Recipe: Named for Chef Cesare Cardini, Not Julius Caesar. Earth and Space News. Thursday, March 17, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/03/caesar-salad-recipe-named-for-chef.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Caesarion Sought to Refuge in India But Was Lured Away To Be Murdered." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/08/caesarion-sought-to-refuge-in-india-but.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra Had Planned Flight From Egypt But Nabateans Burned Her Ships." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 1, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/cleopatra-had-planned-flight-from-egypt.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra or Caesarion Could Have Refuged in Five Ports in Western India." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 8, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/cleopatra-or-caesarion-could-have.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Julius Caesar's Birth Quintilis 12/13 Became July in Julian Calendar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, July 21, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/07/julius-caesars-birth-quintilis-1213.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Mother and Child Fresco in Pompeii May Depict Cleopatra With Caesarion." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Sep. 15, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/09/mother-and-child-fresco-in-pompeii-may.html

Noack, Ferdinand, and Karl Lehmann Hartleben, Baugeschichtliche Untersuchungen am Stadtrand von Pompeji. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1936.

Notomista, Mario; and Eva Piccirilli. "VII.16.22 Pompeii. Casa di Fabio Rufo or House of M Fabius Rufus. Planimetra del primo piano sottostante. Plan of first lower floor." In: Massanori Aoyagi and Umberto Pappalardo, Pompei (Regiones VI-VII) Insula Occidentalis, Collana Pompei, volume primo (Napoli: Valtrend Editore, 2006), Tav. 9, page 271.
Available via Pompeii in Pictures @ https://www.pompeiiinpictures.com/pompeiiinpictures/R7/7%2016%2022%20plan.htm

Pappalardo, Umberto; and Mario Grimaldi. "Insula Occidentalis." Parco Archeologico di Pompei (Archaeological Park of Pompeii) > Pompeii Sites > Progetti e Ricerca (Projects and Research) > Progetti di scavo (Excavation Plans). June 7, 2018.
Available @ http://pompeiisites.org/en/excavations-plan-en/insula-occidentalis/

Paris, Rita. Via Appia: la Villa dei Quintili. Milano: Electa, 2000.

Parco archeologico di Pompei. "Casa di Marco Fabio Rufo e Bracciale d'Oro." Parco archeologico di Pompei > Pompei.
Available @ http://pompeiisites.org/sito_archeologico/casa-di-marco-fabio-rufo-e-bracciale-doro/

Platner, Samuel Ball; and Thomas Ashby. "Forum Iulium." Pages 225-227. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome > F. Completed and revised by Thomas Ashby. London : Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford, 1929
Available via Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg (Heidelberg University Library) @ https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/platner1929/0277/image,info
Available via Tufts University Perseus Digital Library @ http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0054:id=forum-iulium
Available via The University of Chicago Library @ http://www3.lib.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/eos/eos_page.pl?DPI=100&callnum=DG16.P72&object=257

Richardson, Lawrence. "The temple of Venus Genetrix stood at the far end. . . ." Pages 166-167. A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. 1992.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/newtopographical0000rich/page/166/mode/1up

Ulrich, Roger B. "Julius Caesar and the Creation of the Forum Iulium." American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 97, ,o. 1 (January 1993): 49-80.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/505839

Varriale, Ivan. "VI 17 Insula Occidentalis 32-36." In: Massanori Aoyagi and Umberto Pappalardo, eds., Pompei (Regiones VI-VII) Insula Occidentalis. Collana Pompei, volume primo. Napoli: Valtrend Editore, 2006.
Available via Academia @ https://www.academia.edu/4231374/VI_17_INSULA_OCCIDENTALIS_32-36

Waldstein, Charles. "Pasiteles and Arkesilaos, the Venus Genetrix and the Venus of the Esquiline." The American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts, vol. III, nos. 1 and 2 (June 1887): 1-13.
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/496373#metadata_info_tab_contents

White, Horace, trans. "Chap.XV.102. . . . He erected the temple to Venus, his ancestress, as he had vowed to do when he was about to begin the battle of Pharsalus, and he laid out ground around the temple which he intended to be a forum for the Roman people, not for buying and selling, but a meeting-place for the transaction of public business, like the public squares of the Persians, where the people assemble to seek justice or to learn the laws. He placed a beautiful image of Cleopatra by the side of the goddess, which stands there to this day. . . ." Pages 414-417. Appian's Roman History: The Civil Wars. In four volumes. Volume III. Book II: 229-515. First printed 1913. Reprinted 1933, 1958, 1964. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., MCMLXIV (1964).
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/appiansromanhist0000appi_s3m0/page/414/mode/1up
Available via Tufts University Perseus Digital Library @ http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0232%3Abook%3D2%3Achapter%3D15%3Asection%3D102