Pliny'S Doves

In one of the rooms on the upper floor of the Museum of the Capitol at Rome, is the celebrated mosaic described by Pliny, and from his description called "Pliny's Doves." It is one of the finest and most perfectly preserved specimens of ancient mosaic, and is formed of natural stones so small that one hundred and sixty pieces cover only a square inch. It was found in Villa Adriana, in 1737, by Cardinal Furietti, from whom it was purchased by Pope Clement XIII. for the Capitoline Museum.

This exquisite specimen of mosaic art is a copy of the work of Sosus, and is described by Pliny as a proof of the perfection to which that art had arrived. He says, "At Pergamos is a wonderful specimen of a dove drinking, and darkening the water with the shadow of her head: on the lip of the vessel are other doves pluming themselves." It was found set as a centre-piece in the floor of a room which was laid with coarser mosaic: around it was a stripe of flower-work as a border, about a hand in breadth, equally fine with the centre-piece.