Cat and Ducks

This villa floor mosaic (early 1st c. BC) centers on a panel in opus vermiculatum (fine mosaic using tiny tesserae), divided into two registers. The upper scene shows a cat seizing a bird, while the lower band presents two ducks, one holding a lotus flower. The painterly shading and lively poses echo Hellenistic easel painting. Set in a triclinium (formal dining room), it signaled cultivated taste to reclining guests.