Single knowledge project
Mosaics
Museo Nazionale Bardo - Tunisi
prof.ssa
Grazia D’Auria
1
Single knowledge project
Mosaics: research and history
Collaboratori
FAI Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Coordinatrice
Prof.ssa Grazia D’Auria
prof.ssa
Grazia D’Auria
2
Fonti per foto e articoli:
www.musivumopus.com/index.htm
http://www.bardomuseum.tn/
http://foto.inabruzzo.it/
http://catalepton.altervista.org/
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
The so-called "SeignorJulius" mosaic
(The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Materials: Clay, marble - Dating: Beginning of V century A.D. - Origin: Carthage - Seignior Julius’s wealthy
hours. Activities around a big Seigniorial domain in the Carthage suburbs.
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Trilobed mosaic representing a rural farm: The Master’s House
(The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Dating: IV century A.D. - Origin: Tabarka Materials: Limestone, marble
A mosaic panel representing a villa located in the centre of a large garden with fruit trees and a pool where
geese, ducks, pheasants, and even pigeons evolve. The house is a multi-storey edifice flanked by two high
corner towers related to each other by an arcaded portico. Like any other actual Mediterranean traditional
house, this house is designed around a central courtyard which is accessed by an arched portal.
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Trilobed mosaic representing an agricultural holding: The stables
(The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Materials: Limestone, marble - Dating: IV century A.D. - Origin: Tabarka
The pars rustica (stables and warehouses) of a Roman villa situated in a field of vines and olive trees. In the
foreground, a woman spinning the yarn evokes the artisanal and domestic activity of weaving on the domain
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Virgil (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Sousse - Dating: Beginning of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
This was discovered in a house in Sousse (Hadrumetum). Virgil writing the VIII verse of the Aeneid while being
inspired by the muses, Clio and Melpomene
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
A domain at water’s edge (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: The Bizerte region (Sidi Abdallah) - Dating: End of IV – beginning of V century A.D. - Materials: Marble,
limestone. A representation of the Bizerte Lake in ancient times. The mosaic was discovered in a maritime villa
in Sidi Abdallah at the Lake of Bizerte
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Dionysos punishing the pirates (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Dougga (Thugga) - Dating: III century A.D - Materials: Marble - Corresponding to this mosaic pavement,
another panel depicts another Homeric scene. It is about the VIIth hymn relative to Dionysos’ victory over the
Tyrrhenian pirates. Portrayed as an adolescent, the god is accompanied by a Satyr mentor, a Bacchant, and
an old Silene. At his feet, a panther seems to be jumping off the boat to attack one of the pirates and devour
him. The pirates, who are terrorized by the god-adolescent, jump into the water to become dolphins. Two small
boats evolve on both sides of the divine boat; one of them is carrying three characters, most likely fishermen,
and the other is carrying two lovers
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
A lion and four millet stems (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Uzitta - Dating: First half of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble, limestone
A mosaic panel representing a lion with a human-featured head. The big cat is depicted in profile while
surrounded by four millet stems; two on each side, which constitutes the emblem of the sodality of the leontii.
The following text can be read on the top: O leo praesumsisti, expedisti dedicasti. This is intended to pay
tribute to a member of the sodality; probably to the one who built the Thermae where this mosaic panel was
laid and discovered and where meetings of the leontii would be held.
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Diane the Huntress (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Utique - Dating: Second half of II century A.D. - Materials: Marble
This magnificent mosaic panel represents Diane the Huntress in the middle of a painting framed with a twostrand braid. The goddess, who is wearing short clothes with her hair held in a bun and wearing boots, appears
to be about to shoot an arrow at a gazelle which is quietly grazing acacia leaves
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Two fighting athletes (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Thuburbo Majus - Dating: End ofIII century A.D. - Materials: Marble
Main scene of a pavement representing two fighting nude pugilists. Their hands are protected with gloves. The
scene is quite similar to a modern boxing match
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
The lions (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Carthage - Dating: VI century A.D. - Materials: Marble
Two lions struggling on both sides of the tree of life.
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Animals’ spectacle (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Radès (Maxula per Rates) - Dating: IV century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A mosaic representing a show of animals during amphitheatre games
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Ecclesia Mater (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Tabarka - Dating: V century A.D. - Materials: Marble
Ecclesia mater (our mother, the Church). A mosaic representing the plan of a church in a flattened perspective.
It represents the symbol of the Christian community to which the deceased Valentia belonged
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Unloading of a ship (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Sousse - Dating: 1st half of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A doorstep mosaic representing the unloading of a ship. On board, a seaman is holding two bars to two slaves
to take them to the shore where two controllers weigh them using a big scale. This picture is a live document
that retraces port and African ship-owners’ activities during the Roman epoch
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Chariot race in a circus (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Gafsa (Capsa) - Dating: VI century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A circus game representation where chariot races, which thrill Roman-Africans, used to be held
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Cyclops forging Jupiter’s lightning (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Dougga (Thugga) - Dating: End of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
Three naked and sweaty cyclops, Brontes, SteropeandPyracmon, are forging Jupiter’s lightning which god
Vulcan, who is sitting in front of them, is holding on the anvil
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
God Ocean (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Utique - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A mosaic representing barbed god Ocean, loves overlapping dolphins, and the nuptial cortege of Poseidon and
Amphitrite
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Poseidon’s Triumph and the four Seasons
(The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Chebba - Dating: Mid III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
Poseidon, god of the sea, on his chariot accompanied by a Triton and a Nereid
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Xenia (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: End of II century A.D. - Materials: Marble
Different fragments of a triclinium’s (dining room) big mosaic pavement. The space is compartmentalised by a
garland of laurel leaves forming square panels bordered by wall-hangings. Ready-to-consume victuals (Xenia)
figure inside each panel: wild boars and sows, female deers between small trees, a chaplet of thrushes
suspended to a ring by their beaks, two wild ducks, a goat flanked with two small trees, a goose, a parrot, two
rock mullets, and white and dark grapes
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
A bottle of wine (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: End of II century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A bottle of wine protected by its braided straw cover and accompanied by a stemmed glass with high purity
lines
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Bestiarii feasting in the arena (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: 1st half of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A banquet of gladiators talking to each other and feasting in the arena and disturbing a herd of resting bulls
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Ulysse et les Sirènes (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Provenance : Dougga - Datation : vers 260 ap. J.C
Ulysse résistant aux sirènes (Odyssée XII,160-200) Thugga-Dougga. IIIe s. ap. J.-C.
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Angler (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: El Medeina (Althiburos) - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A mosaic representing a scene of angling
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
The poet (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Thuburbo Majus - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
The sitting poet is inspired by the theatre
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
The seven days of the week (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Bir Chana (Zaghouan region) - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A mosaic representing the seven days of the week and the signs of the Zodiac
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
Hunting to hounds (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: Mid III century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A mosaic representing the successive phases of hunting to hounds
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Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi
A symbolic vision of Golgotha (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)
Origin: Younga ( Iunca Mahrès region). - Dating: Beginning of VI century A.D. - Materials: Marble
A Martyrium threshold mosaic of the Iunca church representing a symbolic vision of Golgotha and the Holy
Sepulchre of Jerusalem
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Single knowledge project
Mosaics
Museo Nazionale Bardo - Tunisi
prof.ssa
Grazia D’Auria
30