ARCE

Close up of mosaic edge depicting border with wild boar and lion partially visible, after conservation

Description:
Close up of mosaic edge depicting border with wild boar and lion 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, Animals in art, Mosaics, Tesserae, and Stonework
Genre:
color photographs and documentary photography
Conservation Note:
A lion, moving to the right. Its body is creamy-white, the shading of the inner parts of the legs made of light-pink tesserae. Yellow pebbles and wide strips of lead were used for the mane and tip of the tail. The nose and mouth were enhanced with pink-red tesserae. Teeth and claws were made of specially cut white stones. The eyes are of black pebbles surrounded with lead and enlivened with red and white highlights. Running towards the lion is a wild boar. Its body is made of creamy-white irregular tesserae, the haircoat of yellow and light-brown pebbles and lead strips. Red tesserae mark the tongue, while the open snout is pink inside. Fangs and teeth are of specially cut stones, the eye is inlaid with a black pebble inside a white frame of cubes and lead strips (Final Remarks Report).
Creative Commons License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Local ID:
arce_ca_mmc_images_0011.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).