ARCE

Close up of mosaic tesserae depicting border with lion and bull partially visible, after conservation

Description:
Close up of mosaic tesserae depicting border with lion and bull partially visible, after conservation
Photographer:
Image captured by Project Staff
Date Created:
July 16, 2003
Collection:
Greco-Roman Museum Mosaic Conservation
Series:
Post-conservation
Subseries:
Stag Hunt Mosaic
Location:
Alexandria, Egypt and Al Iskandarīyah
Time Period:
Hellenistic Period and Ptolemaic Period
Topic:
Art, Greco-Roman, Borders, Ornamental (Decorative arts), Animals in art, and Greek mythology
Genre:
color photographs and documentary photography
Conservation Note:
A lion is standing firmly on all fours, facing right. The head is turned toward the viewer. The nose and mouth are pink-red, and the eyebrows black. Yellow pebbles and wide strips of lead were used for the mane and tip of the tail. Some red-pink stones and terracotta tesserae cut to size enhanced the shaded modeling of the legs and belly. Next to it, a bull with raised left front leg. The body is made of creamy-white tesserae, the horns and hooves of bluish cubes. Hair on the forehead and on the end of the tail is indicated with yellow pebbles. Shadows on the inner parts of the legs and on the belly are in pink and light red. The eyes are of black pebbles surrounded with pink and black irregular stones and with a double strip of lead (Final Remarks Report).
Creative Commons License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Local ID:
arce_ca_mmc_images_0040.tif
Project History:
Within the walls of the Greco-Roman Museum, Alexandria, Egypt are three intricate mosaics of very fine quality between the second and third century, BCE. Under the auspices of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Father Michele Piccirillo of the Studium Biblicum Franciscum directed the conservation of the mosaics. Notably, it resulted in the public viewing of the stag hunt mosaic for the first time since its discovery. Conservation work was made possible with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (formerly the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).
Funding Agency:
Greco-Roman Museum Mosaic Conservation project was made possible with funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Grant No. 263-G-00-93-00089-00 and administered by the Egyptian Antiquities Project (EAP) of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE).