Alcove in Portico

This is one of four "alcoves" in the southern Peristyle of the Garden of the House of Menander.  Note the carved plaster in the semi-dome and the fresco in the apse of the lower portion.

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The House of Menander is located to the southeast of the Roman Forum of Pompeii.  It is one of the largest and most opulent houses of Pompeii (19,000 sq ft.).  A personal seal and graffiti indicate that Quintus Poppaeus Sabinus was its owner.  He was a relative of the Empress Poppea Sabina, Nero's second wife.  Its name comes from a fresco of a famous Greek dramatist, Menander found on one of the walls.

Regio I, Insula X.4 (= Region 1, Block 10, Doorway 4 [plus others]) — Alcove 14.