House of the small fountain

The House of the Small Fountain is a Roman townhouse in Pompeii named after its mosaic-encrusted nymphaeum fountain in the peristyle courtyard — one of the best-preserved examples of ornamental fountain architecture in the buried city. First uncovered in 1823 and fully excavated in 1826–27, the house is richly decorated with Fourth Style wall paintings, an illusionistic technique fashionable in first-century AD Roman interiors that renders elaborate architectural fantasies directly onto plaster walls. It was counted among the most decoratively refined houses in Regio VI by early excavators. Much of the structure is now covered by a modern protective roof, a practical conservation measure that noticeably alters the spatial experience but has helped preserve the delicate painted surfaces.