Excavated: 1914 (GdS 1914, 113 (April 2-25); NSc 1914, 287; Calza).
Mosaic: SO IV, 74 nr. 107, tav. 37 (top).
Inscription: ---.
Date: 190-200 AD (SO IV).
Meas. of tesserae: 0.015 (SO IV).
Mosaic
General descriptionMost of the floor of the back room is lost, with the exception of the central-east part. The room was divided in two halves by an elaborate mosaic frame with a wicker-work motif. The frame is in the southern half and runs along the east (right) part of the north side, and along the north part of the east side. NADIS inv. nr. 645 shows it on the west (left) side as well. The west-east part of the frame is directly to the south of a part of the west wall that has a double width. The frame is identical to a frame in stationes 27 and 28.
In the north half of the back room a few tesserae have been preserved. Here NADIS inv. nr. 645 shows a mosaic with a geometric motif consisting of rectangles of varying sizes. In the passage to the front room are white tesserae.
Most of the floor of the front room has been preserved, with the exception of the south part and the eastern edge. It is bordered to the west and east by wide bands of marble, the eastern one on the axis of the central column, the western slightly to the east of it. Most of the floor is taken up by a geometric design surrounded by very wide black bands. The design is not in the centre of the room, but moved a bit to the west. A similar black band in statio 25 and the absence of the framing motif from the back room suggest that this room was redecorated, like the front room of statio 25.
TextNo text has been preserved and there is not enough free space for a text, unless it was at the south end, which would be unusual.
DepictionsMost of the panel in the front room is taken up by a geometric motif. In the south-east corner is a simplified lighthouse. The black parts to the left of and above the lighthouse deviate from the rest of the pattern.
Becatti
Geometric design. Balza nera di contorno del campo bianco, decorato a motivi geometrici neri costituiti da tante formelle quadrate adiacenti, scompartite in un quadrato centrale contenuto entro un altro più grande, che è collegato sulla metà dei lati ai margini interni della formella da altri quadrati, che formano appendici cruciformi. Questi vari elementi geometrici di ciascuna formella sono alternativamente neri e bianchi e il colore di ognuno è invertito in quello della formella adiacente, in modo da creare maggior varietà.
Lighthouse. Un faro nero su fondo bianco interrompendo il motivo geometrico. Il faro è a quattro piani, con una grande porta ad arco nel primo, feritoie ai lati del secondo, una finestra quadrangolare nel terzo, e il fuoco acceso sul quarto. Il primo e il secondo sono riuniti lateralmente da spigolo a spigolo da una linea nera obliqua, che forse vuol raffigurare il primo piano in prospettiva dall'alto.
Frame. Nel vano postico rimangono traccie del mosaico con treccia bianco-nera.
Masonry
The statio seems to have a back wall of opus latericium between two piers of opus vittatum simplex, the right one reinforcing a corner of opus reticulatum and modern. The latericium is set back a little to create an alcove. The west wall of the back room is of opus vittatum simplex: a single wall in the south part, and a double wall in the north part, with a reused piece of marble in the lower corner. There is no east wall. Instead the back half of the back room is bordered on the east side by thick, upright slabs, apparently of marble. A thin, upright marble slab is set against the vittatum of the east end of the north wall.
Interpretation
The upright marble border in the back room suggests some special purpose.
The statio retained a commercial function when it was redecorated, because a lighthouse was depicted in the front room. The black parts above the lighthouse are vaguely reminiscent of those above the lighthouse in statio 22. The lighthouse is a subtle statement, not attracting attention, as if it is the "logo" of the mosaic workshop that was active on the square.