Roman Mosaic Panel with Tiger Attacking Stag

2nd-4th century AD
A rectangular panel of mosaic tesserae depicting a tiger attacking a stag within a tangle of tendrils and fruit; mounted in a custom-made display frame to allow vertical display. 15.7 kg, 54 x 140 cm (21 1/4 x 55"). Very fine condition, with rare black tessera background. A museum quality display piece.
Provenance
Acquired by the current owner in 2002; formerly in the collection of an important French gentleman, collection formed since early 1960s.
Footnotes
Scenes of predation are among the more long-lasting motifs in Roman art, expressed in a variety of media ranging from tiny bronze plate brooches of a few centimetres in size to large figural mosaic friezes suitable for ornamenting a public space. The scenes favoured could depict predators of the natural world attacking their prey, as in the example here, as well as humans showing mastery over animals through hunting. Among the spectacles displayed in the Roman circus were the bestiarii - a type of 'gladiator' who fought wild beasts such as lions or tigers - and venatores who specialised in tracking and hunting animals rather than fighting them.
A militarised society such as Imperial Rome might regard the domination of the predator over its prey as the natural order, expressed also through Roman domination of the known world.