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The House of the Red Walls takes its name from the distinctive painted decoration in several rooms, dominated by large fields of red.
The original layout dates to the Republican period, but the building underwent many alterations over its history. Particularly important work followed the earthquake of AD 62, which caused serious damage to many buildings in the city.
When the eruption occurred in AD 79, the work had not yet been completed. Several rooms therefore retain surfaces that had only been plastered and not yet painted, while the new decoration had already been finished elsewhere.
A lararium, the small shrine used for domestic worship, stood in the atrium. It contained six bronze statuettes representing the protective deities of the household, evidence of the religious practices performed daily by the occupants.
The House of the Red Walls is particularly revealing because completed decoration and evidence of work still in progress survive within the same building. It therefore provides a tangible picture of Pompeii’s long reconstruction during the years between the earthquake of AD 62 and the eruption of AD 79.
The house underwent major consolidation and restoration as part of the Great Pompeii Project.