This iconic image is a hallmark of the exhibition, “Pompeii” Tales from an Eruption” and depicts a sculpture that has, interestingly enough, never appeared within the exhibit at any of the exhibition venues. The original sculpture, one of a pair of bronze statues of runners, was found in the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum and is now in the collections of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Italy.
Made by the famed Italian photographer, Mimmo Jodice, the original photograph is a
hand-toned print that transcends the often-documentary nature of artifact photography. Jodice’s hauntingly beautiful photograph of the runner is evocative of loss, commemorating the perished civilizations of the Vesuvian region as well as those individuals whose stories emerge through their homes and possessions.
