The cold case of the mosaic with the pair of lovers returned to Pompeii

The story originates from a gift to a German citizen from a captain, a friend of his, who brought it to Germany after having come into possession of it during his activity as a military supply chain officer in Italy in 1943/44. The heirs then decided to return it to the Italian state. In the absence of data on the provenance of the mosaic, the Ministry of Culture had decided to assign it to the Pompeii Archaeological Park, considering that similar mosaics in technique and style are known from the Vesuvian area. An in-depth research launched by the Park then led to an unexpected result: the mosaic has nothing to do with Pompeii. The archaeometric analyzes carried out in collaboration with the Department of Science and

Technologies from the University of Sannio suggest that it is a Lazio production that was marketed at a supra-regional level. But not only that: a lucky meeting, on the occasion of the 2025 presentation, with Giulia D’Angelo, an archaeologist of Marche origins and co-author of the contribution published today in the Pompeii E-journal, led to the true origin of the mosaic: it comes from a Roman villa in Rocca di Morro, a hamlet of the Municipality of Folignano in the Marche, where it is already attested at the end of the eighteenth century.

“The reconstruction of the story of this mosaic demonstrates how the protection of cultural heritage does not end with the material recovery of the work, but continues with rigorous study, scientific verification and the restitution of the historical truth. The joint work of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of the Carabinieri, officials of the Ministry of Culture, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and the Universities involved has allowed the mosaic to be correctly relocated in its original context, a Roman villa in the Marche. All goods stolen and brought back to Italy it represents a fragment of our identity that returns to the community”, declares the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli.

“This story gives Folignano a precious fragment of its memory and strengthens the profound bond between our community and its most ancient history – states the mayor of Folignano, Matteo Terrani. The fact that the work comes from a Roman villa in Rocca di Morro gives new value to a symbolic place which is a fundamental part of our identity. As an administration we are working, together with enthusiasts and volunteers, to promote initiatives to enhance the site. In the next few weeks we will go to Pompeii to be able to view the mosaic and meet the director of the Archaeological Park Gabriel Zuchtriegel, whom I thank for his availability and professionalism, with the aim of starting a constructive dialogue and new prospects for collaboration”.

The memory of the artefact resurfaces, among other things, in the production of the Ascoli painter and archaeologist Giulio Gabrielli (1832-1910) who reproduces it in a handwritten notebook (ca. 1868), now preserved in the Municipal Library of Ascoli Piceno. To accompany the sketch, the author provides notes on the subject and the location of discovery. He interprets the scene as that of a man “offering glue d[estra] a bag of money… to a beautiful woman who stands half naked in front of him”, proposing as the title The Farewell of an Hetaera and reporting that the find “was found on a farm belonging to the Malaspina family in Rocca di Morro”.

“Pending to evaluate, together with the community and local authorities of the territory of origin, future enhancement initiatives (for example through an exhibition) – adds the mayor of Ascoli Piceno, Marco Fioravanti – the results of the research are presented in the e-journal of the Pompeii excavations published today with the satisfaction that thanks to the interdisciplinary work of the Carabinieri, officials of the Ministry of Culture, archaeologists as well as researchers specialized in archaeometry, it has been possible to reconstruct a story troubled with a happy ending.”

“Great team work, reconstructing history is team work and this is an example of how dedication, professionalism and passion lead to unexpected discoveries not only in Pompeii, but also in less well-known but no less important sites for understanding and enhancing the classical heritage throughout the peninsula – declares the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel – Thanks to the latest research, a specialized production from Lazio emerges which exports precious mosaics, presumably made in considerable quantities, to territories such as the Marche, Campania and Puglia; a discovery of great interest not only for the history of Roman art, but also for the economic history of the Roman world”.