1294 Ohseivaiions on Mosaic, 



are employed to obtain those shades of colours which do not 

 exist in stones. It belonged formerly to cardinal Furietti. It 

 was purchased, togetlier with some centaurs, for the sum of 

 13,000 scudi, by Clement XIII. who caused it to be placed 

 in the Capitol. Furietti thought it to be the mosaic of Per- 

 gamus mentioned by Pliny : but Winkelman has shown the 

 falsity of this opinion. This mosaic is commonly known 

 under the name of the four pigeons, or the mosaic of the 

 Capitol, It has been copied a great number of times, on a 

 small scale, for snuff-boxes and medallions. — 2d, The mosaic 

 executed by the order of Sylla in the temple of Fortune at 

 Praeneste, at present Palastrina. It waJ5 first published by 

 Kircher, Montfaucon, and Shaw ; and afterwards by the 

 abbe Barthelemy, vvho made it the subject of a particular 

 memoir, in which he establishes, that the subject it represents 

 is the expedition of Alexander to Egypt. Winkelman con- 

 sidered it as Menelaus and Helen in Egypt. Count Caylus 

 also published an engraving of it in the same colours as the 

 original. This mosaic, remarkable in particular for the light 

 which it throws on the natural and local history of Egypt, is 

 at present at the seat of the Barberini family, built on the 

 mountain where formerly stood the temple of Fortune, and 

 at the bottom of which is Palaestrina. It is commonly 

 known under the name of the mosaic of Palcestrina. — 3d, In 

 the pavem.ent of the same temple there was also found an- 

 other mosaic, of less size, but of wofkmanshij> nmch more 

 elegant than the former : it is at present in the Barberini 

 palace at Rome. It represents the rape of Europa. The 

 upper part exhibits the sea-shore, on which are observed the 

 companions of that princess, and Agenor her father. The 

 same subject is represented on a mosaic engraved by the care 

 of the prelate Casali. — 4th, In the villa Albani there is a 

 beautiful mosaic, which was found in the territory of Ur- 

 bino, and which represents a school of philosophers.— -5th, 

 A mosaic representing the history of Hesione, the daughter of 

 Priam, exposed on a rock to a monster, and delivered by 

 Hercules, who gave her in marriage to his friend Telamon, 

 was discovered about the year 1762. According to Winkel- 

 man, the workmanship has as great beauty and delicacy as 



that 



