"Fragments of a mosaic floor that once adorned a ship belonging to Caligula, the tyrannical Roman emperor, have landed in Miami. The Frost Art Museum at Florida International University (FIU) is presenting the restored artefact along with 11th-century mosaic stone slabs. All are on view in the US for the first time, thanks to loans from the world's oldest museum, the Capitoline in Rome."
"The exhibition, titled MOSAICO, unites these pieces with digital representations of major Italian mosaics that immerse viewers in intricate histories of ruin and repair. MOSAICO is a collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the Italian Cultural Institute and Consulate General of Italy in Miami. "It came together through a shared vision of cultural exchange and education," says Miriam Machado, the Frost museum's interim director. "It was a great opportunity for us to integrate art history and technology.""
MOSAICO presents restored Roman mosaic fragments alongside 11th-century mosaic stone slabs from Italy, on view in Miami through 22 February 2026. A fragment from a mosaic floor that once adorned a ship associated with Emperor Caligula and twin stone slabs from the tombs of Saints Benedict and Scholastica are included. The slabs, recovered after Second World War bombings after being buried under 18th-century paving, depict dogs in checkerboard patterns of red glass paste and white marble tesserae. Loans from the Capitoline Museum enable the U.S. presentation. The exhibition pairs original works with digital representations and highlights Hellenistic tesserae techniques and the Roman opus sectile method.
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