#roman-mosaic

#roman-mosaic

Crafted on travertine slabs from the late 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, the artwork was stolen from Pompeii by a Nazi German officer during World War II. It was handed over by the heirs of a deceased German citizen who received it as a gift from a Wehrmacht captain.

This kind of humorous scene is an example of asaría, a type of ancient visual joke where animals behave like humans (anthropomorphism). Such mosaics were popular in Roman domestic decoration, often as floor or wall panels in villas and bathhouses.