"CORK: Who Dares Dispute Its Use For Making Ruins???" Topic

How do you like this??? Enjoy.

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And that beauty is apparently a 1:100 scale model:

"Giuseppe Fiorelli, state model of Pompeii (1:100), National Archaeological Museum, Naples."
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"The 1:100 scale model of Pompeii shows the appearance of the Vesuvian town in its entirety in terms of buildings and decoration as it was known until the period following the Second World War. In some respects, it represented the only record for defining certain areas damaged by the passing of time, or that had disappeared as a result of wartime events. The only parts missing from the model are the amphitheatre, the insula occidentalis and insula 2 of regio VIII, as well as the evidence that has come to light during the excavations carried out in recent decades. The large model was designed at the initiative of Giuseppe Fiorelli, inspector of excavations at Pompeii from 1861 and curator of the museum from 1863 to 1875, while the actual work was done by Felice Padiglione, son of Domenico Padiglione, who was responsible for making numerous cork models, such as the temples of Paestum or the macellum of Pozzuoli. Work proceeded constantly from 1861 to 1879, only experiencing a pause at the end of the century. Work on the model was resumed in 1908 and was entrusted to Nicola Roncicchi, who had previously made the model of Villa della Pisanella at Boscoreale. Since then the history of the model has been marked by continuous moves between Naples and Pompeii and subsequently by its division into two parts to protect it from the events of wartime until it finally found its final position in the museum in 1950. The base is made of plywood while all the upper parts are made of cork. The materials are worked with a pyrographic tool to create a perfect imitation of the various building techniques employed, while the architectural features in marble or limestone are reproduced using stucco or plaster, occasionally incorporating bone inserts. The frescoes and floors, which resemble the originals in every detail, are made using two distinctly different techniques: in the first case, the use of tempera paint on a thin layer of tin has led to the almost perfect preservation of the various details while in the second case, the choice of using watercolours on a paper base has led to greater wear over the years. The floors are made of less porous paper and were incised in the case of mosaics, while the vaults and ceilings with stucco and paintings are not stuck to the walls so that they can be raised and observed."
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CC
PS. I added as many links as I could, because I know these are not always going to be active links. Meant to help, not annoy.

He must have been planning on gaming with 15mm figures, right?

CC

Very nice – also emphasises how claustrophobic the place must've been, with most streets walled for their entire length, and a lot of the "open spaces" actually enclosed private courtyards.

Astounding. I admit I openly drooled at the close up shots. That is a terrific model. How much for a 2' square section?
Thanks for posting all those links too. Very thoughtful.

That is truly impressive. I wonder if the blank portions on the edges of his model are for as-yet unexcavated sections of the city?

Man, that gives me an idea for a bug hunt scenario using 5150.

Aladdin,

This is what one of the references states:

"The only parts missing from the model are the amphitheatre, the insula occidentalis and insula 2 of regio VIII, as well as the evidence that has come to light during the excavations carried out in recent decades."

CC

Great post, Cacique. I visited Pompeii on my honeymoon in 2001 and must have seen this model but surprisingly, do not recall it. I may have been somewhat overwhelmed -- the place has that effect on the visitor.

Dom Skelton: … emphasises how claustrophobic the place must've been, with most streets walled for their entire length …

?! Having been there, I can say that's not the impression you get at all.

If you look at some of the closeup pictures closely, you'll see a street with 3 boulders at its entrance. Those boulders are sized so chariot wheels can pass on each side of them; the boulders are placed there to prevent bigger wagons from entering. So those streets are wide enough for 2 chariots to pass abreast. The same street has sidewalks, and if you look at the building models, you'll see the sidewalks are wider than the doorways into the houses … this is about as big as streets got in the era before automobiles.

It's certainly true none of the street-facing walls have windows. That would be to keep out burglars.

… a lot of the "open spaces" actually enclosed private courtyards.

Yes, this was a common way to design both large houses and municipal buildings, because it maximizes air and light, plus provides a protected area to conduct business or household chores. If you've ever been into, say, a restaurant with a central open-air patio, you've seen the same effect.

I can see why it took him a few years to have that done.

Even my wife was impressed when I showed her those photos.

CC