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From:
'Guide to the Vatican Necropolis' by Michele Basso,
© Fabbrica di S. Pietro
Tomb
of the teacher (Tomb G)
The
fine structure of the facade of this tomb is in terracotta
with graceful geometric designs. It is only possible
to glimpse the remarkable delicacy of the ornaental
frescoes of the vault and walls.
On
the celing there are two gazelles depicted on the
edges of a dark red rectangle, in the center of which
is a bird. On the far wall is a fresco representing
two human figures, probably a teacher with his student.
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Built
during the time of Hadrian (117-138 AD), before mausoleums
F and H, this mausoleum still preserves the entire facade
up to the top of the triangular tympanum behind a magnificent
4th century masonry arch. Above the travertine portal, the
titulus and the two little windows have elegant brickwork
frames. The frieze of the building is especially refined
with a succession of yellow brick geometric shapes inserted
in ordered rows or red bricks. The interior of the mausoleum
is partially invaded by a foundation from the 16th century,
which had to be strengthened by reinforced concrete pillars
in 1948.
The
upper part of the rear wall features a delightful scene
of daily life probably inspired by the activity of the anonymous
owner of the sepulchre: a man with a beard is seated on
a stool with an open scroll in his hands in front of a table;
to the right of the elderly man stands the figure of a young
man. It is perhaps an administrator checking the accounts
in front of a servant. Nevertheless, those who first saw
the painting decided to see a teacher and his pupil in the
two figures. Hence the name "of the teacher" is
attributed to the small building.
Sources
P. Zander. The Vatican Necropolis, in "Roma
Sacra", 25, Roma 2003
Margherita Guarducci,
The Tomb of St Peter, Hawthorn Books, 1960
John Evangelist Walsh,
The Bones of St Peter, New York, 1982
J. Toynbee - J.W. Perkins. The Shrine of St Peter and
the Vatican Excavations, London 1956
Michele
Basso. Guide to the Vatican Necropolis, Fabbrica
di S. Pietro in Vaticano, 1986
