| Paintings and mosaics in Pompeii and Ercolano: |
Distribution of bread
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 Ever since its discovery, the picture found on wall O of the
tablinum in a small house in Pompeii has been given two
interpretations, with an almost equal number of followers for
each. The first, probably the most immediate, is that this
depicts the sale of bread, as if it were a sort of shop sign.
The second interpretation is that this is a free handout of
bread. The former hypothesis comes up against an obstacle in the
very representation itself: he who proffers the bread to the
characters darkly dressed as travellers, and to the child who is
also wearing a hooded cloak, is sitting on a high podium, and is
not behind his sales counter at the same level as his customers,
as is the case in other scenes of everyday life. Furthermore, he
is not just wearing a simple white tunic but, over it, a large
pale cloak which partially covers his seat and bestows a certain
solemnity upon the figure.
The hypothesis, on the other hand, that this might actually be
the free distribution of bread by some magistrate (even though
this would explain the character's raised position and his
clothing) is challenged by the fact that there is no indication
of his position, that a public figure of this sort would
normally be accompanied by lictors, and that in any case the
whole scene would take place in front of an enormous crowd. It
has recently been remarked, however, on the basis of comparison
with funerary reliefs, that this might be the portrayal of a
private distribution, thus explaining why the benefactor is on
the one hand well-dressed, but without any actual indication of
his rank, since he was not carrying out any official duty; this
picture is, therefore, in gratitude for this act of generosity.
It has also been suggested that the character in question might
be a baker elected to carry out some public duty; in this case,
the picture would have been commissioned by the person himself
in his own house to commemorate the time he held office.
Examination of the stylistic features supprt this hypothesis,
inasmuch as the commissioner, in order to reproduce a scene from
real life, has turned to a craftsman who was more accustomed to
painting signs and lararii with, or more likely without, the
help of models based on mythological or genre subjects. And so
it is for this reason that this picture, intended to be used
indoors and indeed on the tablinum which was used by the head of
the household for the reception of guests, has been included
among examples of "popular painting" when in effect it is not
far removed, as regards technique and accuracy in its details
and even in the faces of the characters, from contemporary
pictures of the 4th style.
Bibliography: T. Frölich, Lararien- und Fassadenbilder in der
Vesuvstädten, 32 Erg.heft, 1991, pp. 236-241; F. Zevi, L' arte
"popolare", in La Pittura di Pompei. Testimonianze dell'arte
romana nella zona sepolta dal Vesuvio nel 79 d.C., 1991, p. 270;
PPM VI p. 948 fig. 11
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Fonte: MANN
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