145. Mosaic Panel

Late 2nd century A. D.
Discovered near Carthage (Tunisia), 1875.
Marble, limestone, molten glass.
H. 88⁵∕₅ in. (225 cm); W. 94¹∕₂ in. (240 cm).
Purchased in 1891 (MA 1796 — inv. MNC 1577).
Restorer: Atelier de restauration de mosaïques de Saint-Romain-en-Gal, under the direction of E. Chantriaux, 2005—2006.

Staged against a neutral beige background, five young people dressed in short tunics (exomides) are busy carrying table utensils and food, making preparations for a banquet. They are young triclinarii, slaves who acted as waiters. Only the figure at the center is intact. His short tunic, ornamented with two blue stripes, covers only the upper part of his body, while a sort of loincloth is knotted around his hips. His raised right hand supports a flat wicker basket of four breads or cakes. To the left, dressed in a red tunic with vertical red stripes, a slave holds a small basket, probably of fruit. All that remains of a third figure is the left arm holding a metal kettle. In the lower section is a fourth young man, cut off at mid-body, wearing a scarf with his short, red-striped tunic; he holds a glass carafe, probably of wine, and a plate, in his left hand. The last slave, whose tunic reveals one shoulder, holds a pole that must have been used to carry a heavy load.

Notable for its high-quality workmanship, this floor fragment can be dated to the late Antonine era, based on the treatment of the volumes and the space — characterized by small shadows at the figures’ feet, the variety of poses combined to convey movement, and the diversity of physical types and hairstyles. While interesting, the iconography is not exceptional: banquet scenes were popular in floor decorations in North Africa,¹ where they must have been one of the chosen themes for the floors of triclinia, or dining rooms. More broadly, they reflect the taste of wealthy proprietors for illustrating their way of life and surroundings, thus indicating their own prosperity. Depictions of slaves, identifiable by their short tunics, are common though they are not easily distinguishable from commoners. Only the scene in which they participate allows their identification. Slaves are found in depictions of agricultural activities, hunting scenes, amphitheater games, and banquet scenes.² In the latter category, highly skilled workers are most often depicted. Indeed, as N. Blanc and A. Nercessian stress, “the luxury of a table also includes the specialized slaves who serve the guests; they are chosen from among the most beautiful and are dressed sumptuously… And just as all the guests, according to their rank, did not have the choicest morsels, they were not all served by the same slaves.”³

¹Dunbabin, K. M. D. 1978. The Mosaics of Roman North Africa. Oxford: Clarendon Press., pp. 123—124; Blanchard-Lemée, M. 1995. Sols de l’Afrique romaine: mosaiques de Tunisie. Paris: Imprimerie nationale, pp. 65—85.

²Blázquez, J. M. 1998. “Representaciones de esclavos en mosaicos africanos”. In: L’Africa romana. Edited by M. Khanoussi, P. Ruggeri, and C. Vismara. Proceedings of a symposium held at Olbia (Italy), December 12—15, 1996. Sassari: Ed. democratica Sarda.

³Blanc, N., and A. Nercessian 1992. La cuisine romaine. Grenoble: Glénat. Dijon: Faton, p 68.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baratte, F. 1978. Catalogue des mosaïques romaines et paléochrétiennes du musée du Louvre. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, pp. 71—74.

7. Mosaic Panel

Late 2nd century A. D.
Discovered near Carthage (Tunisia), 1875
Marble, limestone, molten glass
88⁵∕₈ × 94¹∕₂ in.
Musée du Louvre; Purchased in 1891 (MA 1796 — inv. MNC 1577)

Dressed in short tunics, five young people carry utensils and food in preparation for a banquet. They are young triclinarii — slaves who served as waiters. Slaves are not easily distinguishable from commoners, since commoners also wore short tunics, but they can usually be recognized by the activities they are shown engaging in — such as hunting, agricultural work, amphitheater games, or banquet preparations. Banquet scenes and depictions of slaves were popular in North African floor decorations. Both reflect the desire among wealthy homeowners to showcase their way of life and prosperity.

The figure at the center of the mosaic is the best preserved. In addition to a tunic, which is ornamented with two blue stripes, he also wears a loincloth knotted at the hips. He holds up a flat wicker basket containing four breads or cakes. To his left is another slave with a small basket, probably of fruit. In the lower section is a young man, cut off at mid-body, who has a scarf over the neck of his red-striped tunic. He grasps a plate and a glass carafe, most likely filled with wine. To his right is a slave whose tunic covers the shoulder upon which a thick pole rests. No doubt the pole supported a heavy load. All that remains of the fifth slave is part of his leg and hand, which holds a large metal kettle.

Most Romans ate three meals a day. Breakfast and lunch were light meals often consumed out of the home, but dinner was always eaten at home and, for the wealthy, typically included three courses: an appetizer, entree, and dessert. When guests were attending, dinners became even more elaborate. The number of dishes increased and became more unusual, including entrees such as ostrich or flamingo. The host aimed to impress his guests with his wealth and good taste. Guests dined while reclining on couches that were arranged in a U-shape around a large table. The seating arrangement was very important, with guests placed according to rank. For banquets, the most beautiful slaves were chosen and assigned to attend to specific guests.