The Atrium

Erdeös writes:

In ancient Rome, the small, enclosed courtyard which formed the central part of the house, was called atrium. Villa San Michele also has such a courtyard. The collection of rainwater was formerly of vital necessity to Capri, where there is no groundwater. Rainwater from the roofs was collected in a cistern.

Foto: Peter de RuIn the middle of the atrium there is a roman well-mouth (puteal), cut from a single block of white marble. The inside of the edge has grooves made by the ropes used to pull up water buckets from the well. Over time, these ropes have formed deep furrows in the marble.

The decoration consists of thick garlands of 'first fruit offerings', various sorts of leaves and fruits, hung with coiling ribbons between bucraniae. There are rosette-shaped sacrificial bowls in the garland lunettes. The garland motif is frequent in sacred as well as profane contexts. A similar decorative feature is found on the Ara Pacis in Rome.

Measurements in cm: Hight 70, diameter 68, 5
Provenans: Unknown
Dating: A D 1-50
Bibliography: Andrén (1957) p. 370; Andrén (1965) p. 130; Andrén (1980) p. 137; MBCA 15/00401987.

(From Agneta Freccero, Roman marbles, Wahlström & Widstrand 2003, p. 170)

Foto: Peter de Ru Axel Munthe put Roman tomb inscriptions and various types of antique fragments in the walls of the Villa. The middle column of the arcade was discovered among the remains of a Roman villa on Capri.