The view of the Tragic Poet's house was taken soon after its discovery, at a moment when certain shades of drapery had been placed to protect the painting of Achilles from the effects of the sun.

The house had excited so much interest at the time it was discovered, that the walls were quickly tiled, as here represented, to preserve them from the weather, so that their covering must be considered not only as modern, but as calculated, by its effect, to produce a conviction that the water from the roof fell into the tablinum of the house. The remedy for this idea will be found in the following plate.