Detail of the athlete in the central panel of the mosaic.
Toward the eastern end of the South Stoa at Ancient Corinth stands a modern structure that was built to protect a L2nd/E3rd century A.D. mosaic. Discovered by Oscar Broneer in 1933 during his excavations, the mosaic’s central figural panel depicts a nude athlete and a seated, semidraped goddess who holds a shield inscribed with "eutychia" (good luck) as well as a vessel from which water streams into a basin. Betsey Robinson’s recent article, "Good Luck" from Corinth: A Mosaic of Allegory, Athletics, and City Identity” (AJA, Vol. 116, Jan 2012, p 105-132), discussed not only the meaning and art historical value but also the need for conservation work after eight decades of exposure. Thanks to a generous grant from the Stockman Family Foundation the mosaic is getting the neccessary attention.
After the approval of a conservation study created by head conservator Nicol Anastassatou, she and two highly experienced mosaic conservators, Spiros Armenis and Charis Delis, are hard at work. The plan calls for the mosaic to be detached, the deteriorated preparatory layers removed, and the mosaic reset upon a new stable substratum. The team is currently in the process of cleaning the surface, consolidating fragmentary stone and glass tesserrae, and preparing the mosaic for the detachment. The project is slated to take place over the next two years.
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