Curiosities about Pompei

Immortality has captured the imaginations of cultures throughout the ages.

Nowadays, we have numerous resources to keep those memories alive, whether through photography or videos. In classical antiquity however, the men and women of Rome resorted to other artistic techniques to immortalise their loved ones, out of pure necessity.

Ceremonial masks were used to connect people with the divine and the deceased. They were kept as treasures in the residences of the aristocracy and later everyday people, much like a family tree.

Marble busts or carvings were also a common artefact to hold close the memories of those no longer with us.

Theatricality inspired us with the Maiorum design. Simulating the masks of two patrician figures from ancient Pompeii, we sought to highlight the Roman ceremonies which featured solemn processions during overly ornate funerals.

The masks are monochromatic because they were made with plaster moulds, capturing the facial appearance and most characteristic features of men and women with Etruscan-Roman characteristics: a nose marked by a large shadow, provocative eyes that capture the viewer’s attention, and a decoration of laurels and veils to engage the onlooker.

These are a multitude of faces that create a powerful setting, making them our most emblematic design in the Pompei collection, along with the beautiful Frutetto landscape.