This mosaic
showing different species of fish was discovered in 1955 in the remains
of a Roman villa in La Pineda, the coastal area of the town of Vila-seca.
It is 6.25 metres long by 4.5 metres wide. The field of the mosaic
is a rectangle of 3.68 x 2.68 metres with 47 different depictions of marine
life. The illustrations are mainly of fish, but there are also crustaceans,
cephalopods and mammals. The central motif is framed by lines of coloured
tiles. The rest of the mosaic has a border of peltas, placed in
the form of a wavy ribbon with floral decoration inside. This work is from
the beginning of the 3rd century AD and belongs to the African school of
mosaic composition, in which the scene fills the whole area of mosaic.
This contrasts with the tendency of the Hellenic style to create small,
independent compositions (emblemata), surrounded by a geometric
decoration.
| Marine animals found in the La Pineda fish mosaic
(according to M. Bobadilla, 1969).
1. Sea bream or a fish from the gilthead family
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