Pompeian red is one of the most iconic and fascinating colors of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.
Used extensively in frescoes and building decorations, this deep red pigment has left an indelible mark on the history of Roman art and culture. It became the symbolic color of Pompeii and the other Vesuvian cities destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
Pompeian red, also known as “Pompeii red,” “English red” Herculaneum red” was made from cinnabar powder, a sulfide mercury mineral.
This pigment, however, besides being rare, was also very expensive and harmful to health due to the presence of Mercury.
For this reason it was later replaced with vermilion, red ochre and Mars red, obtained from iron oxide.
But recent discoveries have questioned the wide use of Pompeian Red in the cities of Pompeii even claiming that it would actually be a yellow ochre.
Find out all the details in our guidebook or on your visit to Pompeii ask an experienced guide to explain the real nature of Pompeian Red.
Use of Pompeian Red
With its bright and intense tones, Pompeian red has become the signature color of this ancient city.
For Pompeians it was the symbol of passion, love, power and wealth. That is why it was widely used not only to decorate the walls of houses but also to paint everyday objects.
It was, for example, used in wall frescoes, which were often painted with red backgrounds or with figures and details colored in Pompeian red. But it was also used to highlight particular architectural or decorative elements, creating eye-catching visual contrasts.
And not only that, Pompeians also used it to decorate everyday objects such as ceramics, vases and statues, to give them an elegant and sophisticated look.
In short, Pompeian red had become the symbol of art for Pompeians and they often employed it as an emblem of wealth and majesty.
Was the Pompeian red ochre yellow?
Recent discoveries, however, have called into question the existence of Pompeian Red. In particular, it is a study conducted by the CNR that has brought out this background about the real existence of Pompeii’s symbolic color.
The study, in fact, shows that the chromatic hue of Pompeian Red actually comes from an alteration of the color caused by the gases and high temperatures given off during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.
According to the CNR study, Pompeian red is actually a yellow ochre. It became red because of the intense heat given off by gases during the eruption of Vesuvius, which changed the pigment of the yellow color to red.
This particular characteristic of yellow ochre becoming red in contact with heat was also known to the ancient Romans. In fact as described by Pliny and Vitruvius, they often used to heat yellow ochre to make it red. In order to decorate and paint the walls of their homes, to add richness to the rooms.
But not only that, the study conducted by the CNR also questioned the actual number of house walls that were painted using true Pompeian Red.
According to experts, there are 246 walls currently felt to be red and 57 yellow ones, but according to the results, there must have originally been 165 and 138, respectively.
So just over half of those we observe today as red were originally really painted Pompeian red. While all the others derive from a chromatic alteration of yellow ochre.
A study, then, that completely upsets the use of this symbolic color of Pompeii and calls into question the history and culture of this ancient city.
The case of the Villa of Mysteries
The Villa of the Mysteries itself a symbolic and prestigious place in Pompeii, famous worldwide for the extraordinary triclinium decorated on its three large walls with the use of Pompeian red has been questioned.
According to top experts, however, the Villa of the Mysteries would not be counted among those that have suffered chromatic alteration due to heat. And that almost certainly those walls were red originally as well. It is, according to Wallace, the authentic Pompeian red, of the most expensive kind.
So it can be said that at least the prestige and wealth of this very famous domus has been saved by the continuous research revolving around one of the most important cities in the world.
