IDNO

T.153054.RPT

Description

View of a mosaic from the Villa Romana del Casale, showing two men in a race. One of the men is riding a chariot led by birds. [IJ 24/01/2023]

Place

S Europe; Italy; Sicily; Enna; Piazza Armerina; Villa Romana del Casale [Sicilia]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Poignant, Axel

Collector / Expedition

Date

1957 - 1958

Collection Name

Poignant Collection

Source

Poignant, Roslyn

Format

Colour Transparency

Primary Documentation

Other Information

T.152858.RPT - T.153307.RPT were located in the drawer file of transparency sheets, numbered C1022/.

T.153044.RPT - T.153059.RPT were located in a transparency sheet, numbered C1022/10.

Bibliographic reference: “Roman exploitation of the countryside is symbolized by the Villa Romana del Casale (in Sicily), the centre of the large estate upon which the rural economy of the Western Empire was based. The villa is one of the most luxurious of its kind. It is especially noteworthy for the richness and quality of the mosaics which decorate almost every room; they are the finest mosaics in situ anywhere in the Roman world.” UNESCO (1997). Villa Romana del Casale. [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/832/] [Isabella Jakobsen, 08/11/2022]

Bibliographic reference: “For the exceptional richness of its architectural and decorative elements, this late Roman structure has become of highly prominent importance within the programme for the safeguarding and valorisation of Sicilian heritage. […]
The Villa, under UNESCO protection since 1997, belonged to a member of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, perhaps a Roman governor (Praefectus Urbi). Some scholars believe however that it was instead built and expanded on direct imperial commission. Due to its beauty and complexity, it can be considered one of the most important examples of a state residence among its contemporaries in the Roman West. The high profile of its patron is eloquently celebrated through an iconographic programme that was stylistically influenced by the art of the African mosaicists who were called to do the work and unfolds in rich compositions decorating an impressive number of rooms, both public and private in nature.
[…]
Over the course of time, the historical evidence found around the site occupied by the late antique villa increased the interest of many scholars, who began exploring its remains starting in the first years of the nineteenth century and then again in the first years of the twentieth century, with the excavations led by Biagio Pace and Paolo Orsi, up to the major excavation campaign carried out in 1950s and early 1960s by Vinicio Gentili, followed by numerous initiatives targeting the consolidation of the mosaics. […]
Since 2006, the site has been the subject of a systematic restoration and conservation programme […].
The intervention concerns around 3000 square meters of mosaic and opus sectile [marble tiling technique] pavement in addition to numerous polychrome wall paintings, as well as the three-dimensional reconfiguration of the spaces. The formal and material methods that were adopted are different than those of the past, in order to better preserve and make use of this residence, considered one of the most prestigious monumental testimonies to antiquity in the Mediterranean.” Councillor’s Office for Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity (2012). Archaeological Park of the Villa del Casale: Introductory Guide, pages 2-4. [https://www.villaromanadelcasale.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/guida_042012_ENG.pdf] [Isabella Jakobsen, 08/11/2022]

Bibliographic reference: "Antechamber of the apsidal [with alcoves] bedroom of the southern quarters:
The elliptical racecourse of a circus, where chariots manned by children and led by pairs of colourful birds symbolise the changing of the seasons and the cyclical nature of time.
[…]
The birds drawing the chariots are wearing collars with attributes that recall the different seasons and the cyclical passing of time. [...] Autumn […] [is] referenced by the bunches of grapes hanging around the necks of the blue swamp hens […]." Cantamessa, G. (2013) La Villa Romana del Casale di Piazza Armerina. Palermo: Kalós, pages 193-4. [Translated from Italian by Isabella Jakobsen, 22/11/2022]