Triclinium Nymphaeum

View looking southwest the fountain in the outdoor dining area of the House of the Ephebus.  It has a gabled roof that is supported by columns.  "In the niche stood a bronze fountain statuette of Pomona holding a bivalve shell filled with fruit, now in the Naples Archaeological Museum . . . from which the jetting water fell down four marble steps into the small pool below" (lower right).

The water cascading down the stairs into the pool must have given off a wonderful refreshing sound.

Note the shell design in the semi-dome as well as the bas-relief painted plaster in the gable.

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The House of the Ephebus is also known as the House of P. Cornelius Tages.  It takes its name from a bronze statue of the ephebus that was found there.  It is located about seven blocks (insula) east of the Roman Forum.  It is a large "house" consisting of three houses that were merged into one!  Location: Regio (Region) I, Insula 7, Doors 10-12.