Who is the Woman with a Wax Tablet and Stylus in Naples?

Recovered from a house in Pompeii in 1760 and now housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, the 1st-century AD fresco depicts a finely dressed young woman holding tools that signify literacy and education. Though speculatively identified in the nineteenth century as the Greek poet Sappho, modern scholars mostly view her as an educated upper-class woman of Pompeii, while alternative conjectures suggest she might be the Flavian satirist Sulpicia. The artwork later inspired various literary figures, including Chinese poet Shao Xunmei.

What we know

• The fresco dates to the 1st century AD and was recovered on May 17, 1760, from a house in the north-west of Pompeii, which was buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. [1, 2]
• The subject holds a writing tablet and stylus, which were used in Roman painting to indicate literacy and education. [2]
• Nineteenth-century observers speculatively identified the portrait as the Greek poet Sappho, though no corroborating evidence supports this. [2]
• Modern scholars generally interpret the figure as an educated upper-class Pompeiian woman, while an alternative conjecture suggests the Flavian satirist Sulpicia. [2] · medium confidence

Still open

• There is a lack of corroborating evidence regarding the exact identity of the woman portrayed, leaving open whether she is an anonymous upper-class Pompeiian, Sappho, or Sulpicia.

Where to go next

• what caused itWhat was daily life like in Pompeii before Vesuvius erupted?
• what followedHow did the 1760 discovery of the fresco impact European literature?
• how it workedWhat painting techniques defined the Fourth Style of Pompeian art?
• a case in pointWhat can we learn from the Portrait of Terentius Neo?
• whereWhat treasures are housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a Roman wall painting inspire modern Chinese poetry?The 1st-century Pompeian fresco directly inspired the modern Chinese poet Shao Xunmei to take up poetry after he saw it during a visit to Naples in the early 1920s.

Sources

• [1]Woman with wax tablets and stylus (so-called "Sappho") (Wikidata Q112135699) · CC0 1.0
• [2]"Sappho" fresco (Pompeii) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Portrait of Terentius Neo · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]History of Europe · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Culture of Italy · CC BY-SA 4.0