UNKNOWN AUTHOR: “Portrait of a poetess (the poetess of Pompeii)”, 1 st century a.c. - Mural - Archaeological Museum, Naples.

Portrait of an extraordinary sensitivity, where many critics have identified the face of Safu, tragic poetess who ended her life committing suicide. No matter who is the owner of this fragile and delicate face, the true is that this painting constitutes the masterpiece of all the sensational paintings developed in Pompeii.

The pose of the woman, lost glance while approaching the quill to her lips, is of an extreme gentleness, which shows how the Greek sensitivity affected to the Roman civilization. The face, gorgeous despite the logical failures of drawing, shows an expression of meditation, searching inspiration. The colours, despite the damages suffered by the work throughout the centuries, is calmed and appropriate, reaching extraordinary levels in the curls of the head and the fingers that hold the small boards. We would have to wait almost a millenium to find, in all the western painting, a picture of a comparable psychological penetration.