Roman Mosaic of Wounded Giant w/ Serpent Legs

Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, probably near Antioch, Imperial Period, ca. 3rd century CE. An exceptional mosaic depicting a wounded giant shown kneeling on serpentine legs with an arrow piercing his chest, all meticulously delineated in square, rectangular, and triangular glass and stone tesserae of vibrant green, red, peach, brown, tan, and cream hues. The expressive nature of the piece is astounding, with the powerful appearance of the giant sharply contrasted by his feeble pose - the strong, broad shoulders of his muscular body hunched over as he falls to his knees in despair. The sharp arrow impales his chest, causing a stream of blood to spew outwards. Once dominating, the figure now cowers, his head bowed, as he raises one hand to his brow and holds up the other in surrender. As correspondent with Ovid's "Metamorphoses" who called giants "serpent-footed" and other classical illustrations of giants, he is shown with snake bodies and heads in place of his lower legs. Size: 31" W x 29.5" H (78.7 cm x 74.9 cm)

The serpents coil and writhe beside him, both facing inward and seeming to hiss at the wound in pain. He is flanked by a pair of flowers formed from glass tesserae, one in the upper right corner and the other in the lower left, both adding aesthetic to this traumatic scene.

Some myths convey the fact that the goddess Gaia was impregnated by the blood of the castrated sky-god Uranus. She subsequently bore a tribe of 100 giants which were customarily depicted as primitives with serpents instead of legs. They were possibly descended from the barbarian tribes of Thrace. This example depicts the mythological scene when a kneeling giant succumbs after being struck by Hercules' arrow in the battle between the gods and the Giants.

Mosaics (opus tesellatum) are some of our enduring images from the Roman world, not only for their aesthetic beauty, but also because they reveal what Romans chose to depict and see every day decorating their private and public spaces. In the Roman province of Syria, which encompassed most of the ancient Near East/Levant, mosaics seem to have developed as a popular art form relatively late, with most finds coming from the 3rd century CE or later. Syria was one of Rome's wealthiest provinces, but it was also far removed from Rome itself and Roman culture was overlaid on enduring cultural traditions from Hellenistic Greece and the great civilizations that came before it. For example, Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern day Antakya, Turkey), was the capital of northern Roman Syria, and its excavations in the 1930s revealed more than three hundred mosaic pavements.

A mosaic that depicts several very similar wounded giants with serpentine legs can be found on the east apse of the triclinium in the Villa Romana del Casale, located 3 kilometers from the town of Piazza Armerina in Sicily.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection; ex-private Swiss collection, purchased by present owner in Geneva in the late 1990s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#168000
Condition Report: Losses to upper corners and minor losses of some tesserae commensurate with age as shown in photos. Otherwise, excellent with impressive preservation. Mounted on honeycomb, an expensive but useful process that lightens the piece by two thirds for ease of handling and display. No restoration, but some can be done if requested.