TWO BROTHERS RE-CREATE HISTORIC ROMAN MOSAIC

TWO BROTHERS RECENTLY UNVEILED A PAINSTAKING RECONSTRUCTION OF BRITAIN'S LARGEST ROMAN MOSAIC THAT TOOK THEM OVER TEN YEARS TO COMPLETE. BOB AND JOHN WOODWARD USED 1.6 MILLION TINY PIECES TO PRODUCE THEIR COPY OF THE ORPHEUS PAVEMENT. NOW THE 47ft SQUARE PAVEMENT IS BEING AUCTIONED AND IT IS EXPECTED TO FETCH AN ESTIMATED £25,000. THE MOSAIC DEPICTS THE ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC MASTER ORPHEUS WITH A LYRE RESTING ON HIS LEFT KNEE, HIS HUNTING DOG ALONGSIDE HIM AND A MYRIAD OF BEASTS ALL AROUND HIM. THE ANIMALS INCLUDE A TIGER, LEOPARD, LION, ELEPHANT, BEAR, GRYPHON, STAG AND BIRDS SUCH AS PHEASANTS, PEACOCKS AND DOVES. THE STUNNING WORK IS CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT PRINKNASH ABBEY, NEAR STROUD, BUT THE LEASE HAS COME TO AN END AND ITS OWNER HAS DECIDED TO SELL. IONA SALE, WHO IS PUBLICIZING THE EVENT FOR AUCTIONEERS CHORLEY'S, SAID IT HAD BEEN CHALLENGING PUTTING AN ESTIMATE SALE PRICE ON THE MOSAIC, BECAUSE ON ONE HAD EVER ATTEMPTED SUCH A FEAT BEFORE. SHE SAID: 'WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE MOSAIC ALREADY. A GUESSTIMATE IS THAT IT WILL SELL FOR APPROXIMATELY £15,000 TO £25,000. BUT IT'S SO HARD TO DETERMINE WHAT IT WILL SELL FOR BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A ONE-OFF.' THE ORIGINAL MOSAIC, WHICH DATES BACK TO 325 AD, WAS FIRST FULLY EXCAVATED IN 1793 AT WOODCHESTER, GLOUSTERSHIRE. ALTHOUGH IT IS MISSING MANY PIECES, IT STILL SHOWS A FULL PICTURE. IT HAS ONLY OCCASIONALLY BEEN EXPOSED SINCE THEN BEFORE BEING RE-COVERED WITH EARTH. DURING ITS MOST RECENT UNCOVERING IN 1973, WHEN THE BROTHERS FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH IT, MORE THAN 150,000 VISITORS CAUSED CHAOS WHEN THEY DESCENDED ON THE VILLAGE. REALIZING THAT ANOTHER DISPLAY MIGHT NEVER TAKE PLACE THEY DECIDED TO MAKE A FULL-SCALE RECONSTRUCTION. THE REPLICA THEY CREATED IS NOW RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECTS OF RECENT TIMES. THE ROMAN VILLA AT WOODCHESTER, NEAR STROUD, IS THOUGHT TO HAVE BELONGED TO SOMEONE OF WEALTH AND INFLUENCE. BOB WOODWARD TURNED FROM BUILDER INTO RESEARCH SCHOLAR AS HE TRIED TO DISCOVER WHAT THE MISSING PARTS MUST HAVE LOOKED LIKE. THE EARLIEST REPORT HE FOUND DATED BACK TO 1693, WHEN CELTIC SCHOLAR EDWARD LLWYD RECORDED HAVING SEEN 'BIRDS AND BEASTS ON THE FLOOR'. HE CONDUCTED CAREFUL RESEARCH INTO OTHER ORPHEUS MOSAICS TO HELP REPLACE THE MISSING SECTIONS ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE. A REPLICA IN THE ORIGINAL LIMESTONE WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO HEAVY AND EXPENSIVE SO INSTEAD THE WOODWARDS SCOURED THE COUNTRY TO FIND CLAYS WITH SUITABLE NATURAL COLOURS. THE WORK WILL BE SOLD AT CHORLEY'S IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE.