Ancient Mosaic Was Being Used as Coffee Table Since the 1960s

The somewhat impish visage of the Ancient Roman emperor, Caligula, is one that is preserved in stone- but just barely. His rule and his life were ended by a coup after less than four years into his reign. After that point a campaign to erase his presence from history was undertaken by his successors. Only recently have the gardens of Caligula in Rome been excavated and now displayed to the public in the Nymphaeum Museum of Piazza Vittorio (under a mixed-use apartment and office building). But, one of the former emperor’s famed mosaics, discovered adorning a royal boat found at Lake Nemi, had been missing since the 1960s. Turns out it was being used as a coffee table.

Dario Del Bufalo, architect and scholar, was in New York signing copies of his book when he overheard two people talking about one of the lost mosaics pictured in the tome. He ran after one of them and managed to get the contact info for the owner of the mosaic, a woman living on Park Avenue who had been using it as a coffee table.

The mosaic, a stunning geometric pattern that rivals any modern art piece, was found during World War II when Mussolini ordered its excavation. Art and antiques dealer, Helen Fioratti, later said that she had purchased the mosaic from a noble Italian family in the 1960s.

It isn’t just modern art lovers who think the mosaic looks ahead of its time. On 60 Minutes Del Bulfalo said that Caligula’s taste and style was very modern for the era, when mosaics like this one were not yet in fashion- though they would be afterwards.

This obsession with fashion when it came to his surroundings was one of the things people hated about Caligula. He was accused of spending entirely too much money on his many lavish homes, as well as being a decadent in many other ways. However, some said he was mentally unwell.

The mosaic was repatriated to Italy and Del Bufalo eventually made a copy of the table for himself. And, he has since offered to make a copy for Fioratti as well. According to Del Bufalo, “She would not [be able to] tell the difference.”

You can hear the rest of this funny and fantastic story in the video below.