Image above from my mosaic scout, Sally Pierse
Who’d love this in their bathroom? Perhaps not in a shop window, but its looks a great place to relax. So now I am on the hunt for a Victorian roll top bath!
The Romans were very keen to add mosaic floors to their bathrooms. They called them the Thermae and they created big bath complexes. You would visit the Tepidarium – a medium heated room.
Do you want it warmer? Walk to the Caldarium or alternatively, the Frigidarium. That is self explanatory. Brrr! Bathing was the social thing in Roman times; they heated the floor underneath with flues that drove warm air from fires. These were called the Hypercaust. Such sophistication. Many of these floors were mosaiced of course, like this one in Pompei. Would you like an octopus design though? Image courtesy of Helen Miles.
The Roman’s sanitation was a bit iffy. There was no toilet paper; they used a sponge on a stick that you plunged into vinegar and these were often shared- rules about disposing of waste water had to be enforced in Rome; it doesn’t bear thinking about.
This bath piece was curated by Laura McCann and made by Natasha Ellis for Liverpool Pride. It is still on display for a while at the Liverpool Museum. You can literally immerse yourself in pride or as she states, ‘Dip into Pride’. Nice one. How much do you love it? How much does it weigh? It will be auctioned off after it has been on tour.
I think I would prefer jelly fish. This is one of mine. These are made of vitreous swimming pool tiles.
Who has a roll top bath that is begging to be mosaiced? Contact me.
aberdabbadoo -Walks 
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