Plate LXXXIII - Dream of Rhea

Plate LXXXIII is a picture which, probably, was taken from the house of Ceres, but was removed before the author saw it. It then went under the name of Flora and Zephyr ; and, as usually happens when so few are really possessed of good taste, this, which is, in fact, one of the worst compositions of the ancients, has been more admired, and has been the subject of more praise and more dissertations, than any thing at Pompeii.

It represents, according to one, Peleus upon a rock having caught the unwilling Thetis asleep. Her nymphs are near, and Love invites him to seize this favourable opportunity for pressing his suit.

According to another, Rhea Sylvia, the priestess of Vesta, is asleep. Near her is a little winged genius of somnolence. Above, Morpheus ejects from a horn the sleepy draught. Mars, guided by two cupids, appears in the air, and the birth of Romulus is the consequence of his visit.

The Academy are said to have pronounced the picture to represent Bacchus and Ariadne.

It has also been called the marriage of Morpheus by some, and the Graces by others.

M. Raoul Rochette, in a newly published work on Pompeii, has, lastly, given a large plate in folio of this composition.

The scene he pronounces to be the Lucus Martis : the guardian nymph is Pasithea, the wife of Hypnos. The wings of the male divinity in the air are black, and those on his head are the symbol of dreams. Mars is the descending god.

Whatever may be the subject, neither the figures nor the grouping have any merit. The male is devoid of grace, and is exceedingly clumsy, while the sleeping female is absolutely ugly.