Not long ago, some highly artistic relics of ancient Carthage were
disposed of at an auction in London. Two of the finest of these are
mosaics in splendid preservation, each about three feet square. The
one represents a woman robed and wearing a crown of flowers, with a
naked youth sitting beside her; and the other a youth carrying on his
shoulders an eagle. These have been called ‘Peace’ and ‘War;’ but there
seems to be no authority for this. Both works are evidently early
Carthaginian, and must have belonged to a period when Carthage held
a high position as a nursery of art, especially in the beautiful art
of mosaic-work, of which ancient Greece has left no trace, whilst the
mosaics of Rome are of a much later date. It will be remembered that
Carthage was celebrated for her beautiful coloured marbles, and for the
wonderful skill of her artists and workmen, which were known throughout
the civilised world, for Carthage was a large city one hundred and
forty years before the foundations of Rome were laid. It is possible,
therefore, that the peculiar art of working in mosaic may have been
originated in Carthage, and may have found its way to Rome, where it
might have been practised by Roman, or even Carthaginian artists. But,
as a rule, the Roman work is very inferior to the Carthaginian. These
specimens were, with many others, collected by Count d’Hérisson from
recent excavations made in a garden at Danar-el-Sciat, near Tunis,
and situated in the midst of the ruins of ancient Carthage. Of the
authenticity of these relics there can be, therefore, no possible
doubt, as they were brought direct from the site of the city itself.
The two referred to, together with several other interesting specimens,
were purchased by Mr Edwin Long, R.A.
Whilst on the subject of mosaics, we may mention that a valuable
discovery has just been made at Chiusi in Italy. Whilst some workmen
were digging out a watercourse at the foot of a hill near Monte Venere,
they came upon a mosaic pavement about nine feet by six feet in size.
The centre represents a double hunting scene: in the top row are three
stags pursued by a hunter with a spear; below is a boar followed by two
hunters, carrying each an axe and lance. The whole work is in perfect
preservation, well and carefully executed with much fire and spirit,
and is interesting as being the first piece of mosaic pavement that has
been discovered in Chiusi or its neighbourhood.