The building now known as the Getty Villa was built by J. Paul Getty in the early ‘70s to house an ever-growing art collection that included many classical antiquities. As an appropriate setting for his collection, Getty set out to create a replica of the Villa dei Papiri, an ancient seaside luxury retreat at Herculaneum, Italy. Getty never actually saw the ancient villa, although he had visited Herculaneum several times over the course of his long life, for most of the building remains buried deep underneath volcanic debris.

Excavation Plan of the Villa dei Papiri, 1754–58, Karl Jacob Weber.Vellum, ink, gouache, and pencil, 23 1/16 x 48 5/8 in. Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli.

Getty knew the Villa dei Papiri from two sources. First was the rich collection of sculptures, frescoes, and papyrus scrolls recovered from the site in the 1750s and displayed at the National Archaeological Museum and National Library of Naples. Second was the detailed plan of the excavations drawn by Swiss military engineer Karl Jacob Weber between 1754 and 1758. Because the ancient Villa dei Papiri was never fully brought to light, it was Weber’s plan that served J. Paul Getty’s architects and advisors as the model for his new museum.

Weber’s plan recently crossed the Atlantic for the first time along with numerous artifacts from the ancient Villa. These rare objects are featured in the exhibition Buried by Vesuvius: Treasures from the Villa dei Papiri, on view June 26 to October 28, 2019, which explores the art and architecture of the ancient villa that inspired Getty’s recreation. As the curator of the exhibition and editor of the accompanying catalogue, this is a project I have long wanted to realize—both because of the close links between the two sites, and because of the opportunity this show offers our visitors to see original artifacts collected by ancient Romans of the highest rank.

Mosaic floor with complex meander in room o of the Villa de Papiri (Roman, first century BC). Pedicini PH๏τographers.