mosaic fountain-niche

In the House of the Bear at Pompeii. Such niches were a favourite feature of Pompeian gardens once running water had been laid on during the first century A.D. The decoration includes an incrustation of pumice and lines of shells, recalling the origin of the niches in the form of natural grottoes sacred to the nymphs or Muses. The mosaic is composed largely of brightly coloured glass tesserae, rare in floor-decoration. (Boardman, 1986)