The Inn of the Peacock was excavated in 1940. A monograph has been dedicated to the building, especially to its paintings, written by Carlo Gasparri and published in 1970. Most of the building has always been closed to the public, presumably especially because the part of the interior with the paintings is quite small (the building measures 16 x 24 m.). The building is famous for its Severan wall-paintings, that have a curious purple overtone.

As is so often the case in Ostia, there is no building catalogue, so many questions must remain concerning the masonry. The upper part of many walls is modern. For this addition the architect, Italo Gismondi, used ancient bricks and tufa stones found during the excavation. The first building phase is a combination of opus mixtum and opus latericium (green and yellow on the plan) and belongs to the reign of Hadrian. Major modifications took place in the Severan period (purple and blue on the plan). Opus vittatum was applied, which is exceptional in this period. Most opus vittatum in Ostia is later than c. 250 AD, but there are examples from the years 150-250 AD. Characteristic is then opus vittatum that is flanking panels of opus mixtum (reticulatum with intersecting brick bands), as is the case here in a few walls (purple on the plan; these walls were set against Hadrianic opus mixtum). In room III the excavators found a large heap of black and white mosaic tesserae, and in surrounding buildings many marble fragments. It seems that materials were being collected in the area for re-use, in the fourth or early fifth century.

Four doors lead from the street to the building. Room XVII was a shop with backroom XVIII. Next to the connecting door is a wide window. In the entrance of the shop is the usual shop-threshold for vertical shutters and a door. Both rooms have a brick floor, of bipedales, and simple paintings on a white background: narrow red bands create panels.

The entrance of corridor I is flanked by two pilasters that must have supported a tympanum. In the threshold are pivot holes for a double door and a hole for the vertical closing bar. The floor is of opus spicatum. Directly behind the door is the small stairwell II, which received light through a window in the facade. After a few brick treads a landing was reached, from which a wooden continuation started that has left traces in the plaster. Next to the landing is a basin covered with waterproof opus signinum, presumably the lower part of a single-seater latrine. After passing an arch, room III can be entered. In this room the mosaic tesserae were found. It has a brick floor, of bipedales. In rooms I-III only slight traces of painted plaster have been preserved.

At the far end of the corridor is courtyard IV. Two drainage holes in the floor suggest that at least part of the room did not have a roof. On the floor is a simple black-and-white mosaic, a central white area surrounded by a black border, later repaired with pieces of marble. On the walls is a high plaster socle, painted red. From courtyard IV the single-seater latrine V could be reached. The wooden door in the entrance of room VI and its locking device have left traces in the plaster and masonry. Courtyard IV is the first room with extensive remains of plaster. The walls had a thick, red socle, 1.90 high. Above were rectangular frames on a white background, created by thin and thick red lines.

Corridor VI leads to the main rooms in this part of the building: X and VIII. On the floor is a geometric black-and-white mosaic. The painted decoration (see below) is above a red socle. In the south corner (the right end of wall c) the lower part of a wall-niche has been preserved, belonging to the first building period. The bottom is made up of two layers of protruding bricks forming a cornice, resting on three brick consoles. The outer wall of the room was set against and over the right console. Four stone steps lead 0.90 m. down to courtyard VII. In corridor VI the red socle is found again. On all walls are depictions on yellow, red and white panels, many with a curved top ("niches"). We can distinguish bunches of leaves and flowers, dolphins, heads of Medusa, a flying, wreathed Genius, and a flying female figure.

Courtyard VII did not have a roof. It provided light to rooms VIII, IX and XVI through windows. There are benches along the south-east and north-east wall, with a high back wall. A staircase of seven steps in the north part of the courtyard leads down to an underground room in front of a well below room XVI. The well could thus also be reached from the courtyard. To the south of room IX is a pseudo-aedicula on a brick podium. In the niche, below a tympanum, is the painting of a peacock that gave the building its name.

The pseudo-aedicula in courtyard VII has remains of plaster on the inside and outside. On the left side of the pseudo-aedicula are green bands followed by red lines, creating squares. Along the back runs a vertical, red band. There are traces of a thin, superimposed layer. On either side of the niche are two layers of bricks with a cornice, apparently the bases of semi-columns that were painted or made of stucco or wood. On the back of the niche two dark-red horizontal bands divide the painting in an upper and lower part. In the lower section a light-red garland is seen, hanging down from the lower band. Between the bands a green vine may have been depicted. Resting on the upper band are two objects on either side of a peacock. The bird (preserved h. 0.30) has its tail unfolded and is mainly dark-blue, with on the tail some yellow and pink, and light-red "eyes". To its left is a round object, blue with a yellow rim, perhaps a patera. To its right is a yellow rhyton or cornucopiae. There are traces of a thin, superimposed layer (orange and green paint on a white background). The peacock is related to the cult of Dionysus, and a symbol of immortality. The objects on either side could be symbols of domestic deities, the Genius and Lares Familiares.

There are some clues in the courtyard concerning the building phases. On the outside of the pseudo-aedicula plaster has been preserved because the high back of the bench was set against it. Room IX more or less obstructs the pseudo-aedicula. Gasparri notes that on the outer wall of room IX a red socle has been preserved that is the continuation of the socle in room VI and ran all around the courtyard, covering also the bench and the wall of the staircase leading to the well. In other words, the pseudo-aedicula seems to be the oldest feature, followed by the bench and room IX, on and in which the main painted decoration is found.

On the floor of room VIII is a geometric, black-and-white mosaic, of stylized chalices perhaps. On the walls of the room, dark-red panels are separated by fluted columns with Corinthian capitals supporting architraves. Between the columns are theatre masks and, in open doors, large figures: male figures wearing togas (philosophers?), standing and flying female figures, a centaur, and a Genius. On the socle (h. 0.50) an imitation of yellow marble with red veins was painted, a later addition it seems. In the east corner a bar-counter was installed. It has a water basin and is decorated with marble. On the front of the counter are paintings imitating yellow and green marble. In the water-niche green and red fishes were painted. The painter was lying on his back when he made them; they once reflected in the water. On the bartender side of the counter are red and green lines on a white background, with the graffito VLC. Behind the counter are two masonry piers, supporting three stepped marble shelves. The installation was set on top of the mosaic floor and against the wall-paintings.

As to the paintings, John Clarke, in his book The Houses of Roman Italy, speaks of a backward-looking Old Master, and comments: "Even from the eroded fragments that remain it is clear that room VIII's decoration drew upon the full repertory of architectural and figural motifs first explored in the period of the Second Style and modified in spaces like triclinium 10 of the House of the Muses during the Hadrianic period. The artist who painted room VIII was steeped in a tradition that was on the way out".

From room VIII, the tiny but high room IX can be reached by descending along two treads. The room measures only 1.70 x. 3.20, it is higher than room VIII, and the paintings reach a height of 2.80. It has a polychrome marble floor. The room received light from courtyard VII and corridor VI. According to Gasparri it was painted at the same time as room VIII, but shows a new taste. The architectural illusion has disappeared. Instead we see a patchwork of red and yellow panels of varying size. On the panels are standing and flying female and nude male figures, togati, theatre masks, birds, a dolphin, a bust, a head of Medusa, and a grain measure with grain ears. The identification of the human figures is not obvious, the painters made no attempt to clearly identify the figures, as they did in, for example, the House of the Muses. Genii of seasons have been suggested, Maenads and Muses, poets and philosophers.

In the words of John Clarke: "The Old Master of the Inn of the Peacock worked side by side, in fact in the same workshop, with an artist employing the contemporary style, a 'New Master'. The visitor to the Inn of the Peacock immediately saw the alternative to the Old Master's designs when he or she descended the two steps into room IX". Gasparri characterizes the work in room IX as follows: "At the same time in room IX a painter with different, and probably more recent, training is working. The disappearance of architecture is not only a result of the small size of the space, but bears witness to a different taste, here manifested in a completely coherent fashion. In this style the convention of the wall conceived as illusionistically open and articulated by architecture is broken, composing upon it instead panels and pictures as in a piece of fabric or a multicolored carpet".

On the floor of room X is a black-and-white geometric mosaic of blocks. The door has left traces in the plaster of the east jamb. In the north-west wall (c), at 1.54 from the floor and 0.17 from the south-west wall (d), are the remains of a little brick frame forming a cornice. It must have measured about 0.21 x 0.24 and was just a few centimetres deep. On the walls are red and white panels surrounded by wide bands, with vegetative motifs, a dolphin, a flying female figure, and a nude male figure.

Returning now to the facade we encounter first of all room XI that has a rather narrow door with a smooth travertine threshold. Set against the back wall is the beginning of a staircase, the wooden continuation of which has left traces in the plaster on the back wall.

The east part of the building had a separate entrance on Via della Caupona, room XII, which is best called a corridor, together with room XIII. In the entrance is a smooth travertine threshold, on the floor a black mosaic. On the walls are remains of white plaster with frames with a curved top, created by red and green lines. The corridor could also be reached from corridor I.

Behind corridor XIII are room XIV and room XV, both with reinforcing piers. In room XIV are simple paintings on a white background: red and green lines and narrow bands create panels with a curved top. On the panels are flowers, garlands and a dolphin.

Room XVI received light from courtyard VII through two windows. On the floor was a black mosaic. Above the well that could be reached from courtyard VII is a small marble, cylindrical well-head. In spite of its size (internal diameter 0.28) it has small notches in the rim, in which the girgillus was fastened, the frame from which a bucket was lowered.

Functions of the building

A discussion of the functions of the building should of course be based on the building phases. In the absence of detailed observations and a building catalogue, for the masonry only the rough sketch given above is possible. The black-and-white mosaic floors have been assigned to the first half of the third century. Becatti seems to hesitate between 200-250 AD and the middle of the third century. As a parallel for the mosaic in room VIII a mosaic in Rome has been signalled with the text "Domus Aripporum et Ulpiorum Vibiorum Felix", but it is not helpful: it has been assigned to the third or even fourth century (Blake 1940, 88, Pl. 15).

The stylistic dating of the paintings has been crucial. Nothing is known about the painted decoration of the first building phase. Gasparri concludes that the majority of the paintings was made by several painters working for a single workshop, at the same time. He assigns them to the early-Severan period, circa 200-220 AD. The red and green frames on a white background are later, c. 250 AD. The marble imitation on the bar counter is assigned to the second half of the third or early fourth century.

Little can be said about the function of the original building, other than that it must have been commercial, because corridors and halls can be made out. It is generally accepted that the building was a house after the alterations with opus vittatum. This would then have been converted into a hotel when the bar counter was installed, far from the street.

Elsewhere I have argued that the building may have been an office of Ostian painters, perhaps from the very beginning and throughout its history (see the topic "The area around the Porta Laurentina").