A 19th century micromosaic plaque, the rectangular plaque with polychrome tesserae depicting the Doves of Pliny, dimensions 42 x 32mm. £600-£800

These doves, known as the Capitoline Doves or Doves of Pliny, appear frequently as the subject of micromosaics. The image comes from a Roman floor mosaic discovered in 1737 by Cardinal Guiseppe Furietti at Hadrian's Villa Adriana in Tivoli, which in turn is believed to be a later copy of a lost ancient Greek mosaic at Pergamon. The original is described by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, Book 36, Chapter 184, completed in 77AD.