After a long and complex process of preservation and restoration, the sideboard from apartment V,18 on the Decumanus Maximus has returned to its former glory: for the first time in nearly ninety years, the wooden find has been transferred from the archaeological area to the Antiquarium of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum, where it becomes part of the new exhibition space dedicated to ancient woods.
This is an extraordinary charred wooden cabinet/sideboard, discovered with all its contents during the 1937 excavations next to the Casa del Bicentenario. Inside, as reported in the excavation diaries, cups, glasses, jugs, and pots were found, providing exceptional evidence of domestic life in Herculaneum. Immediately after its discovery, the cabinet was displayed in situ on the ground floor of the shop below the apartment, protected by a glass case, as part of the city-museum project promoted by Amedeo Maiuri, which aimed to restore to visitors the spaces and everyday objects buried by the eruption of 79 AD.
Subsequently, for protection and conservation reasons, the sideboard remained sealed in a wooden chest for decades, until its reopening in 2022. From that moment, a complex study and restoration process began, carried out thanks to the collaboration between the Herculaneum Archaeological Park and the Drents Museum in Assen. The restoration project was completed in 2023, making the artifact suitable for transport and display.
The relocation, particularly delicate due to the artifact’s fragility, required a complex operation coordinated by restorers, archaeologists, and specialized technicians, who worked for an entire day, ensuring maximum safety. Today, the sideboard is located on the mezzanine level of the Antiquarium, within a display that faithfully reproduces the original layout intended by Maiuri. Thanks to excavation documentation, it was possible to reconstruct and replace the tableware found in 1937 on the sideboard, thus providing a vivid and authentic image of domestic life two thousand years ago.
The artifact is displayed alongside a cradle, a display that evokes intimacy and everyday life, and the lararium discovered in the same room of apartment V, 18, restored in 2021 as part of the 19th edition of Banca Intesa Sanpaolo’s Restituzioni.
Visitors will also be able to admire the exceptional sideboard during the Park’s evening openings, as part of the A Night at the Museum initiative. A reduced-price ticket allows access to the Boat Pavilion, the wood exhibition (mezzanine level), and the gold exhibition (ground floor), every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM (last admission 10:30 PM). During these evenings, it will also be possible to meet the Park’s archaeologists, restorers, and architects, who will share curiosities, insights, and details related to the restorations and displays.
Info Una notte al museo – Parco Archeologico di Ercolano
The sideboard’s return to display represents a key step in the valorization of Herculaneum’s heritage, offering a unique opportunity to experience, with emotion and wonder, the daily life of the ancient Herculaneum residents.
