Exceptional Roman Mosaic w/ Cupid Hunting Goat

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Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Oct 7, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-10-07 10:00:00 2021-10-07 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities Ethnographic Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-ethnographic-fine-art-7537
Museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine / Visual Arts, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Roman Empire, Middle East from the area stretching from the ancient capital of Antioch down as far as Lebanon, ca. middle of 3rd century CE. A stunning section of a frieze or border from a Roman mosaic wall or floor decoration presenting an action-packed scene in which a winged Cupid (Greek Eros) is pursuing a fleeing goat through a verdant landscape of acanthus leaves that encircle each figure on a black ground. The positions of Cupid and the goat suggest a final triumph of Cupid, as the adorable cherub pulls back his arrow, about to strike the beast as the ancient animal bolts in the opposite direction. All is delineated in square, rectangular, and triangular glass and stone tesserae of vibrant spring green, periwinkle, vermilion, and royal hues as well as sienna, slate grey, dove grey, beige, black and white. Size (of mosaic): 68.3" L x 31.8" H (173.5 cm x 80.8 cm); Size (of frame): 71.3" L x 33.9" H (181.1 cm x 86.1 cm)
  
  Goats figure prominently in ancient mythology. For instance, the wild goat was an attribute of Bacchus (Greek Dionysos), who transformed into a goat when fleeing from Typhon, and of course the satyrs and Pan possessed goat features. In relation to Cupid (Eros), goats were oftentimes depicted with Bacchus (Greek Dionysos) reclining in a cart driven by Cupid (Greek Eros) and drawn by goats. In addition, classical imagery includes depictions of Cupid (Eros) hunting animals including goats, as seen in a relief of the Miletos Amphitheater in Aydin Turkey.
  
  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. Mythological hunting scenes, like this example, commonly adorned the homes of the elite, serving as both playful and sumptuous decor. 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 depicting a cupid of similar style was sold by Sotheby's New York on December 5th, 2007 for $103,000 ("Antiquities," sale number N08373, lot 84). In the description, Sotheby's states that the fragment "might belong to the same pavement as several other fragments found at Zeugma-Seleucia on the Euphrates (present-day Belkis, Turkey) in the late 19th Century and long since dispersed in private and public collections."
  
  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 New Canaan collection, Connecticut, USA; ex-private collection, Pennsylvania, USA, 1990s; ex-New York Art Market 1980s to 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.
  
  #163170

  Condition

  Mounted on a concrete backing and framed. Losses of some tesserae on periphery, to the upper right area near Cupid, and Cupid's left shoulder, with chips to some tesserae. Otherwise, in excellent condition with incredible preservation to tesserae coloration and detail.
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