Skip to Main Content

Mosaic of Tigress and Cubs

300s CE
tesserae
Overall: 142.9 x 135.4 cm (56 1/4 x 53 5/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1987.65
Location: 103 Roman
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

This mosaic includes over ten thousand tesserae, or small cut-stone tiles.

Description

Despite its rectangular shape and creation from mostly square tesserae, this mosaic incorporates many curves in its composition, particularly for the tails of the tigers. With one cub on her back and two before her, the mother tiger reaches out with one paw and an open mouth, whether to scold or to play. Unlike lions, leopards, and bears, tigers appear relatively rarely in Roman art, with the tigress seen more frequently than her male counterpart.
Mosaic of Tigress and Cubs

Mosaic of Tigress and Cubs

300s CE

Eastern Roman Empire

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.