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| Statue of Eumachia |
Eumachia was a rather wealthy woman; we can tell this
because she built one of the largest public buildings in Pompeii with her own
funds. We know that she was a priestess of the Pompeian Venus and matron
of the Concordia Augustus, we know that she had a son, we don’t know which
house she lived in or what the source of her great wealth was. Presumably
something to do with the fullers (people who cleanse wool through the process of fulling), as the building she built served as the guild
house for the fullers and the fullers of Pompeii dedicated a statue of her as a
patron.
The door frame that opens onto the forum is incredibly
elaborate, so much so that it has been encased in acrylic to preserve it.
However this does make it a little hard to see. Her statue (or a facsimile) is
still on a plinth at the rear of the building. A very nice statue, lots of realistic flowing drapery depicts her veiled as a
priestess (much like the altar in the Temple of Vespasian, shows him as a priest). The base of the statue carries the inscription from the fullers who were very grateful for such a high class building.
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