Pompeii: Cast of a Human Victim, Sommer & Behles, Giorgio Sommer, Edmondo Behles
Sommer & Behles, Giorgio Sommer, Edmondo Behles
Pompeii: Cast of a Human Victim
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Sommer & Behles
Giorgio Sommer
Edmondo Behles

Pompeii: Cast of a Human Victim, ca. 1863


Blatt
18 x 23.7 cm
Karton
24.6 x 31.7 cm
Physical Description
Albumen print mounted on cardboard
Inventory Number
St.F.989
Acquisition
Acquired in 1864 as a gift from Julius Ziegler.
Status
Not on display

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About the Work

In 1863, on the grounds of ancient Pompeii, the city destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, the archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli came across valuable relics that bore witness to a tragic fate. During the excavations, cavities had been discovered beneath a layer of hardened ash. Fiorelli had them filled with plaster—and unearthed casts of human victims of the natural disaster in the throes of death. Giorgio Sommer was one of the few photographers to have the privilege of documenting the finds on commission from the excavation director. To this day, his images still bring the catastrophe horrifyingly close.

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Last update

06.11.2024