Pompeii_ Domus Vettiorum, Chariot Lovers' Race, triclinium decoration, No. 11241 c. 1880 - 1890

Curator: This intriguing photograph captures a fragment of ancient life, specifically wall decorations from the Domus Vettiorum in Pompeii, titled "Chariot Lovers' Race." The photograph, taken by Giacomo Brogi around 1880-1890, provides a glimpse into the artistry that adorned a wealthy Roman household. Editor: Wow, look at those little cherubs driving chariots pulled by deer. It's like a bizarre, slightly creepy Renaissance version of Mario Kart, except everything’s faded into this sepia dream. There is this whimsical and ominous sentiment together. Curator: The juxtaposition you point out resonates with current discussions around cultural appropriation and the selective romanticization of the past. This albumen print documents a rediscovery that significantly shaped 19th-century European art and aesthetics, drawing parallels with socio-political agendas, even colonial fantasies, and power structures that sought legitimacy through an idealized classical past. Editor: Right, there’s that sense of…longing. Almost a wistful yearning to bring the gods back, mixed with this undertone that perhaps shouldn’t have been meddled with. It’s strange, this old photograph seems to invite modern feelings… perhaps it invites a reckoning with the desire to resurrect those myths for contemporary validation, when actually these things just keep existing even in modernity. Curator: Precisely. It prompts an examination of how historical narratives—in this instance, rendered through photography and disseminated to a wider audience—can both enlighten and subtly reinforce biased perspectives rooted in privilege. Editor: In a funny way, what looks faded, feels alive with these issues even in our lives today. You start imagining stories. Not about Pompeii but of what could still ignite when one looks back. The desire. What does it look like now, and are there any gods playing the game still with deer in chariots? Curator: Indeed. Brogi’s image serves as a catalyst. As it links ancient aesthetics to later cultural appropriations it asks about how legacies affect contemporary identity. It demands that the intersectional dimensions be viewed rather than any fixed reading, or romantic escape, alone. Editor: Absolutely. I initially just saw cute cherubs, but now I'm seeing… well, ghosts of legacies that linger.