Reliefs in the courtyard
In two buildings religious terracotta reliefs are found in the interior. This comes as a surprise, because such reliefs, like similar shop-signs, seem better suited for a facade. The first is in the courtyard of the House of Diana and gave the building its name. With her right hand Diana is taking an arrow from the quiver on her back, in her left hand is a bow. To her right is a dog turned towards the left, turning its head towards Diana. To her left is a deer, turned towards the right, but its head also turned towards the goddess. In the back wall of the courtyard, on the first floor, the lower part has been preserved of three floor-niches. Apparently three statues of deities overlooked the courtyard.
The courtyard as it appeared before excavations in the 1990's. The relief of Diana can be seen top left.
Note the lower part of three niches on the first floor, in the back wall. To the right is a water basin.
Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.
The relief of Diana in the courtyard.
Photo: Klaus Heese.The other relief can be found in the Small Market (it has today been replaced by a copy). It is on the west side of the portico of the southern half of the courtyard, in the wall between the third and fourth storage room counting from the south. Depicted is a snake in two coils going to the left, characterized as male by a beard and comb, with a forked tongue. On the upper part of the frame and on the relief, but not on the snake, remains of red paint have been preserved. The paint and the snake were later covered with a thin white layer.
Detail of the original relief with a snake in the Small Market.
Photo: Jan Theo Bakker.In Rome three reliefs were found in a niche in a building below the church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere (perhaps in a courtyard).[1] On the central relief, made of tufa, is Minerva holding a lance, next to an altar. The two flanking reliefs, made of terracotta, are identical. A woman lowers a torch towards an altar, while pressing round objects (apples?) to her chest. On the other side of the altar is a maenad holding a thyrsus rod and a tambourine. Behind the maenad is Pan playing a double flute.
Niche with a relief of Minerva below Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.
Photo: American Academy Rome.
(1) G. Gatti, "Roma - Nuove scoperte nella città e nel suburbio", NSc 1900, 11-27: 13-14.
