(Insula 14, no. 4) One of the largest and most complex dwellings at Pompeii which, with its façade, occupies almost the entire short side of the block. The house is laid out across two atria and a peristyle. The first atrium, with tuff columns, was monumental and grandiose, and embellished with an elegant marble decor which emphasised the wealth of the owner. Located along the back edge of the impluvium, in such a way that they were visible from outside the house,were a cartibulum, or ornamental table, with lion’s feet supports, a grooved base which supported a marble statue of a satyr, and a marble table whose supports are still visible today. On the right-hand side of the atrium we have a wooden strongbox covered in iron sheet, which was discovered during the excavations. The second atrium with Doric columns was surrounded by residential and service rooms.
The house was built during the Samnite period, for an upper class local family. In all likelihood this was the house of Marcus Obellius Firmus, who played a prominent role in the political life of the city, and whose tomb was found in the nearby Necropolis of Porta Nola.

Dateof excavation: 1888; 1903; 1910-1911.