ARCE

Close up of large lacuna in mosaic tesserae that once depicted an Eros, only the legs and arm of whom remain intact and visible, before conservation

Description:
Close up of large lacuna in mosaic tesserae that once depicted an Eros, only the legs and arm of whom remain intact and visible, before conservation
Photographer:
Image captured by Project Staff
Date Created:
2002
Collection:
Greco-Roman Museum Mosaic Conservation
Series:
Pre-conservation
Subseries:
Stag Hunt Mosaic
Location:
Alexandria, Egypt and Al Iskandarīyah
Time Period:
Hellenistic Period and Ptolemaic Period
Topic:
Animals in art, Art, Greco-Roman, Greek mythology, Greek Gods, Love, Wildlife-related recreation, Damage--Antiquities, Mosaics, Tesserae, and Stonework
Genre:
color photographs and documentary photography
Conservation Note:
The Stag Hunt mosaic was covered in dust and accumulated sediments before conservation. One of the Erotes had been destroyed with a large lacuna in its place. Lacunae and voids were partially filled with stone tesserae fixed in black cement mortar as part of previous conservation efforts, which had spread to the interstices between the tesserae, even fully engulfing the tesserae in some cases (Final Presentation Report).
Creative Commons License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Local ID:
arce_ca_mmc_images_0167.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).