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Mosaic Floor Panel Depicting Marine Life

A work made of stone and mortar.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of stone and mortar.

Date:

200-230

Artist:

Roman; Daphne, Turkey, the House of the Man of Letters, room 2

About this artwork

Fish was a luxury food among the Romans. Mosaics depicting marine life were especially popular in and around Antioch (near modern Antakya, Turkey), an ancient city located on the Orontes River that was known for the beauty of its waters. This mosaic, which was discovered in a house in Daphne (modern Harbiye), a prosperous garden town near Antioch, depicts several species of fish and shellfish. The representation of these sea creatures was likely intended to convey a message about the owner’s wealth as well as the variety of food available in the home.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Mosaic Floor Panel Depicting Marine Life

Place

Antioch (Object found in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

200 CE–230 CE

Medium

Stone and mortar

Dimensions

39.4 × 85.7 × 6.4 cm (15 1/2 × 33 3/4 × 2 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. Henry J. Patten

Reference Number

1937.48

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/23276/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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