Mosaic

A. Karivieri & R. Forsell

The mosaic is fairly well preserved. There have been some restoration with modern concrete and in some parts the tesserae have become loose. There are also signs of ancient restoration. In the northwest corner the mosaic was partially destroyed when covered by the lararium. Tesserae in white, red, yellow and green occur in patches in the outermost part of the black mosaic floor and in front of door openings where the mosaic has been repaired. The geometric design around the impluvium is partly missing on the western side.

The main part of the mosaic floor is black with inlays of different kinds of marble cut in various forms. Some slabs are geometric: triangles, tetragons, hexagons and some irregular. The types of marbles represented are africano, alabaster, cipollino, giallo antico, pavonazzetto, rosso antico and serpentinite. A pair of white lines frame the floor along the walls.

Black and white geometric designs surround the impluvium. Closest to the impluvium, on each side is a set of squares (made of squares of four rectangles around a square), interrupted by a repeated corner design showing a rosette with eight petals, flanked by rectangles. The entire design is framed on all sides by a white band. Next follows a three-strand guilloche on black background framed by another band of white tesserae.