The view shows the ponte Lucano on the via Tiburtina, one of the four Roman bridges crossing the river Aniene between Rome and Tivoli. Named after Lucanus Plautius, it stands beside the mausoleum of the Plautii, built AD 10–14 and later converted to a fortified tower. The mosaicist appears to have used two engraved sources: a single plate, engraved by Francesco Morelli after Jacob Philipp Hackert (1737–1807), published by Agapito Franzetti in Rome, circa 1790–1800; and plate 11 of Franzetti’s Raccolta di Numo 320 vedute si antiche che moderne della cittá di Roma …, published contemporaneously. Although an Italian subject, the strong colours of the tesserae and the pared-down treatment of the detail may indicate that it was made in Russia – perhaps by an artist who came into contact with Domenico Moglia during his sojourn in the country. A more characteristically Roman rendering of the same subject, by Antonio De Angelis, is in the G. Ammassari Collection, Rome.

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