A black slate and micro mosaic inlaid plaque
A black slate and micro mosaic inlaid plaque, possibly a teapot stand, 19th century, inlaid with a scene of The Doves of Pliny, or the Capitoline Doves, after Sosus of Pergamon, 12 x 16cmA mosaic from Hadrian's Villa, now in the Capitoline Museums, depicts a group of doves on a round bowl. It was described by Pliny, with one dove drinking while the others are sunning themselves. They are depicted artistically but also faithfully. The mosaic at Hadrian's Villa was discovered in 1737 during excavations led by Cardinal Giuseppe Alessandro Furietti. He thought that was the mosaic that Pliny had described, however other scholars believe it to be a copy from the original and made for Hadrian.
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A black slate and micro mosaic inlaid plaque, possibly a teapot stand, 19th century, inlaid with a scene of The Doves of Pliny, or the Capitoline Doves, after Sosus of Pergamon, 12 x 16cmA mosaic from Hadrian's Villa, now in the Capitoline Museums, depicts a group of doves on a round bowl. It was described by Pliny, with one dove drinking while the others are sunning themselves. They are depicted artistically but also faithfully. The mosaic at Hadrian's Villa was discovered in 1737 during excavations led by Cardinal Giuseppe Alessandro Furietti. He thought that was the mosaic that Pliny had described, however other scholars believe it to be a copy from the original and made for Hadrian.
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