“Ramsom of Hector’s body”, Roman Villa del Tellaro, Noto (Sicily) IV century aD. Odysseus, Achilles and Diomedes are identified by inscription in Greek. Priam’s figure is lost, while of Hector remain only the legs.
The Villa Romana del Casale (Sicilian: Villa Rumana dû Casali) is a large and elaborate Roman villa or palace located about 3 km from the town of Piazza Armerina, Sicily. Excavations have revealed one of the richest, largest, and varied collections of Roman mosaics in the world, for which the site has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The villa and artwork contained within date to the early 4th century AD.
Wall painting on black ground: Aedicula with small landscape, from the imperial villa at Boscotrecase - Unknown Roman Artists, c. 10 BCE Period: Early Imperial, Augustan
Fresco, Overall: 91 ¾ x 45in. (233.1 x 114.3cm)
Note that this is a digitally restored version provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The “black room” of the Villa of Agrippa Postumus at Boscotrecase is an exemplar of the third-style of Roman wall painting. While the first and second styles of Roman wall painting experimented with methods of creating depth and illustionistic spaces that the viewer could almost feel that they are walking into, the third style returned to a flatter approach with minimized artistic decorations. This example is notable because of the villa’s connections to the imperial family. The villa was possibly built to commemorate the marriage of the daughter of Emperor Augustus, Julia, to Emperor Tiberius, and bears the name of Julia’s son Agrippa.
Today’s Flickr photo with the most hits: this mosaic roundel. Part of the decorative floor mosaics in the east range of the the Roman villa at Piazza Armerina, Sicily.
I like to think she’s canoodling with the delivery boy.
Detail from Neptune and the Pirates (260 AD), mosaic from wealthy family’s villa at Thugga (Dougga) (Arabic: دقة) an ancient Roman city in northern Tunisia.
This work originates from the same peristyle as the Ulysses mosaic that I posted yesterday. It depicts the punishment of pirates on the Tyrrhenian Sea, merging themes linked to Dionysus and more common marine themes. The god is standing, ready to throw his spear. He is supported by a maenad, a satyr and aged Silenus, who is holding the ship’s rudder. A leopard is attacking one of the pirates, who are transformed into dolphins as soon as they recognize the divine nature of their adversary. To the left, genii have boarded another ship, while to the right, fishermen are attempting to catch an octopus with a net.
Both works can nowadays be seen at the National Bardo Museum:
Digital reconstruction of the entrance of the Roman Villa del Alcaparral with the mosaic of the Judgement of Paris and the atrium. Mosaic Museum, Casariche (Spain)
