top of page
Both the Legion of Honor and de Young are open to the public. Please read our safety guidelines.
April 23, 2011 - July 24, 2011
Marvelous Menagerie: A Roman Mosaic
Legion of Honor, Gallery 1
Exhibition
A large and impressive Roman mosaic pavement was discovered unexpectedly in 1996 about three feet below ground in Lod (ancient Lydda), Israel. Measuring 50 by 27 feet and comprising seven panels, this mosaic floor is of exceptional quality and in an excellent state of preservation.
The exhibition features the three large panels found in what was most likely a large audience room in the home of a wealthy Roman living in the Eastern Roman Empire ca. A.D. 300: The central medallion, depicting various exotic animals, is flanked by two rectangular end panels, one of which represents a marine scene with fish and ships.
The Lod Mosaic is on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Center.
This exhibition continues the accord between the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and is currently on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Related Programs
About Exhibitions at the Ancient Art Council
Exhibitions are an important aspect of a curatorial department. The Ancient Art Department has organized and mounted over the years exhibitions showcasing art from different ancient cultures in the Mediterranean. Some of these exhibitions are also accompanied by scholarly catalogues written, edited, or with contributions by the curator in charge of Ancient Art and Interpretation, and published by the Publications Department. Exhibitions, like publications, fulfill the fundamental commitment of the Department to education, research, and scholarship.
bottom of page