Doves of Pliny

The Doves of Pliny is a well-known mosaic artwork that was discovered in 1737 at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, Italy. The artwork is believed to date back to the 2nd century AD and is thought to be a copy of an earlier Greek mosaic from the Hellenistic period, which is now lost. The original Greek mosaic is said to have been created in the city of Pergamon, in modern-day Turkey.

The Roman mosaic is believed to date from the 2nd century AD and is thought to be a copy of an earlier Hellenistic work. The mosaic is made up of small squares of different colors and depicts the remains of a banquet, including food scraps, broken glassware, and other detritus. In the center of the mosaic is a famous image of a dove drinking from a bowl of water, with its reflection visible in the water. Other doves are depicted sunning and grooming themselves on the edge of the bowl. The mosaic is notable for its attention to detail and its use of shading and perspective to create a sense of depth and realism. It is considered one of the finest examples of Roman mosaic art and is now housed in the Vatican Museums in Rome.

The doves in the “Unswept Floor” mosaic are often referred to as the “Doves of Pliny” because of Pliny’s description of a similar mosaic by the ancient Greek artist Sosus in his “Natural History” (book 36, chapter 184). In his description, Pliny notes that Sosus’ mosaic included a depiction of a dove drinking from a bowl of water, with its reflection visible in the water. The dove was said to be so realistic that other birds were fooled into attempting to land on the mosaic to drink from the bowl. The doves in the “Unswept Floor” mosaic are similarly realistic and are considered one of the most impressive features of the work.

The story was extremely popular with the 18th and 19th-century grand tourists and is frequently seen in works such as micro mosaics, on table tops or smaller snuff boxes etc.