The Alexander Mosaic

de Luigi Spina

The second volume in the Hidden Treasures series launched in 2018 with the Farnese Cup examines another undoubted masterpiece: ?The Alexander Mosaic.? It is certainly one of the great attractions for visitors who every day throng the rooms of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.0The mosaic is made up of over one and a half million tesserae, arranged asymmetrically using the opus vermiculatum technique, which allows the figures to be outlined so as to make them stand out against the background.0The mosaic is thought to have been made in the second century BC and is known to some as the ?Battle of Issus.? While the scene depicted remains a matter of debate, it is nonetheless true that the two main figures have been universally identified as Alexander and Darius. The work was discovered in Pompeii in 1831, where it was part of the floor of the famous House of the Faun.0Luigi Spina gets his camera in close to the crush of men and animals to bring out all the stunning detail in the expressions, gestures, and poses that the viewer often overlooks when taking in the scene as a whole. Eyes wide open and alert, loose reins, flying whips, but also unwonted finery: sumptuous fabrics, precious ornaments, and elaborately coiffed manes.0Essays by Valeria Sampaolo and Fausto Zevi close the book, placing the floor mosaic in its context and highlighting its extraordinary nature within the panorama of ancient art.