Dead figure

This is a plaster cast of a Pompeian man who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was made using 'Fiorelli's process' whereby plaster of paris was poured into the cavities of hardened lava which contained skeletons. These plaster casts provide images of the people of Pompeii in the last moments of their lives.

This plaster cast shows the face of a man lying on the floor in pain. Where the plaster has fallen away you can see his skull and teeth.