Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A discussion of the Lion Hunt Mosaic from the House of Dionysos at Pella, which is likely an alternative-medium copy of the now-lost but much more famous (in antiquity) bronze sculpture group at Delphi, commissioned by Krateros and then dedicated well after his death by his son (Krateros Jr.). The original depicted Krateros saving Alexander from a lion during a hunt, and the two figures in this mosaic are almost certainly Alexander in a petasos on the left, foot pinned by the lion and Krateros rushing to his aid on the right.
The Delphi statuary group is described by Plutarch (Alex. 40.5) and Pliny (Natural History 34.63-64). Plutarch lists the sculptors as Leochares and Lysippos, while Pliny names only Lysippos.
Images shown are either my own photography, or from the site for ARW Travels showing images of the mosaics in the Pella Archaeological Museum. The last comes from Reddit (subgroup: ArtefactPorn by deniscard, dated 5 years ago).
A discussion of the Lion Hunt Mosaic from the House of Dionysos at Pella, which is likely an alternative-medium copy of the now-lost but much more famous (in antiquity) bronze sculpture group at Delphi, commissioned by Krateros and then dedicated well after his death by his son (Krateros Jr.). The original depicted Krateros saving Alexander from a lion during a hunt, and the two figures in this mosaic are almost certainly Alexander in a petasos on the left, foot pinned by the lion and Krateros rushing to his aid on the right.
The Delphi statuary group is described by Plutarch (Alex. 40.5) and Pliny (Natural History 34.63-64). Plutarch lists the sculptors as Leochares and Lysippos, while Pliny names only Lysippos.
Images shown are either my own photography, or from the site for ARW Travels showing images of the mosaics in the Pella Archaeological Museum. The last comes from Reddit (subgroup: ArtefactPorn by deniscard, dated 5 years ago).
