Eastern Roman Empire / 300s CE
Mosaic of Tigress and Cubs
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Mosaic of Tigress and Cubs as mosaic (Eastern Roman Empire · 300s CE).
This mosaic includes over ten thousand tesserae, or small cut-stone tiles.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this mosaic as tesserae.
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMosaic of Tigress and CubsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.