Gladiator Mosaic
| Gladiator Mosaic | |
|---|---|
detail of the mosaic | |
| Type | Floor mosaics |
| Material | Tesserae (stone and glass) |
| Created | First half of 4th century AD |
| Discovered | 1834 Borghese estate, Torrenova, Via Casilina, Rome, Italy |
| Present location | Galleria Borghese, Salone, Rome, Italy |
| Culture | Roman |
The Gladiator Mosaic is a famous set of 5 large mosaics of gladiators and venators and two smaller ones. The mosaics are dated to the first half of the 4th century and are now installed in the Salone of the Galleria Borghese in Rome. They were discovered in 1834 on the Borghese estate at Torrenova, on the Via Casilina outside Rome. Prince Francesco Borghese Aldobrandini requested the excavations be completed. It is believed to have decorated a cryptoporticus of an inner peristylum for a large domus. The mosaics were removed from excavations and restored by Gaetano Ruspi and Filippo Scaccia in 1839. These panels reinvigorated the Borghese Collection after it had shrunk following the sale of much of the collection to Napoleon I.