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File:Centaur mosaic - Google Art Project retouched.jpeg

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Original file ‎(27,974 × 18,078 pixels, file size: 592.66 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Captions

Captions

"Battle of Centaurs and Wild Beasts" mosaic, made for the dining room of Hadrian's Villa (120–130 AD) in Tivoli, Italy. Altes Museum Berlin
A higher resolution version of this image is available as a set of tiles. Click on the grid below to access these.

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Summary[edit]

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Centaur Mosiac  wikidata:Q84734239 reasonator:Q84734239
Artist
Unknown
Details on Google Art Project
image of artwork listed in title parameter on this page
Title
Centaur mosaic
title QS:P1476,en:"Centaur mosaic"
label QS:Len,"Centaur mosaic"
Object type mosaic
object_type QS:P31,Q133067
Description
English: The centaur mosaic was found in the 18th century on the site of the sprawling, luxurious villa complex near Tivoli that once belonged to the Roman emperor Hadrian. The mosaic was found in situ along with other smaller ones that bore depictions of landscapes, animals and masks. The relatively small central panel (emblema) formed part of the floor decoration for the dining room (triclinium) in the main palace. The various individual scenes of these mosaic pictures bear depictions of wild, inhospitable landscapes that deliberately contrast with idyllic ones featuring animals living in harmony with each other. The dangers of the wild are portrayed in this mosaic in the dramatic struggle between great cats and a pair of centaurs, mythological creatures with the head, arms, and torso of a man and the body and legs of a horse. On a rocky outcrop that hangs over a terrific chasm that runs parallel to the bottom of the picture, a pair of centaurs have been pounced on by great cats. While the male centaur has been able to defend itself successfully from the lion, the tiger has managed to bring the female centaur to the ground and is clawing her side. The male centaur rushes to his companion’s side, rearing his legs in the air while holding a rock aloft above his head. Undaunted, the tiger seems intent on not surrendering its prey. Even though one lion already lies fatally wounded, bleeding and with its claws retracted, the outcome of the struggle is anything but clear because in the background (whose spatial depth is achieved through the staggered arrangement of rock forms and impressive gradations of colour) we see yet another foe for the centaur: a leopard ready to pounce. While depictions in older Greek art tended to emphasise the bestial side of centaurs, later depictions increasingly focussed on their human qualities. Lucian, a writer from the 2nd century, records that the Greek painter Zeuxis (active around 400 BC) became famous for his painting of a family of centaurs, including the young, set in a rural idyll. Similarly, Ovid, who lived around the turn of the millennium, wrote in moving verse of the death of a centaur couple. The extensive restoration work that was undertaken in the 18th and 19th century makes it difficult to date the mosaic with certainty. As a result, its dating ranges from Hellenistic to Hadrianic. There is broad agreement among scholars that the mosaic amounts to one of most virtuoso works of Roman mosaic art, which was inspired by a Greek work of art (either a panel painting or mosaic) from the Hellenistic period.
Date (120 - 130)
Medium Various stones in many colour gradations
Dimensions height: 585 mm (23.03 in); width: 915 mm (36.02 in)
dimensions QS:P2048,585U174789
dimensions QS:P2049,915U174789
institution QS:P195,Q156722
Current location
Level Etruscan and Roman Art (Details of level on Google Art Project) room Roman Villas – Luxury as a Lifestyle (Details of room on Google Art Project)
Accession number
Mos. 1
References Google Arts & Culture asset ID: SwHAQhNGz6l7_Q Edit this at Wikidata
Source/Photographer

SwHAQhNGz6l7_Q at Google Cultural Institute zoom level scaled

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Other versions
  • original

    original

  • retouched (592MB)

    retouched (592MB)

  • retouched with less JPEG quality (69MB)

    retouched with less JPEG quality (69MB)

  • retouched with less JPEG quality and smaller resolution (18MB)

    retouched with less JPEG quality and smaller resolution (18MB)

  • retouched smaller resolution (69MB)

    retouched smaller resolution (69MB)

This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: color balance, cropped. The original can be viewed here: Centaur mosaic - Google Art Project.jpg: .

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File history

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Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current21:03, 21 April 2019Thumbnail for version as of 21:03, 21 April 201927,974 × 18,078 (592.66 MB)Habitator terrae (talk | contribs)c:User:Rillke/bigChunkedUpload.js:
19:05, 21 April 2019Thumbnail for version as of 19:05, 21 April 201927,974 × 18,078 (591.11 MB)Habitator terrae (talk | contribs)c:User:Rillke/bigChunkedUpload.js:

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