Dipinto of a venatio scene, located in the upper left quadrant of the back wall of Bay 29. It probably constitutes the prelude to the victory scene in D29.2. The dipinto is largely damaged by a gap in the plaster that has destroyed the whole upper half of the scene; thus the interpretation is solely based on the animal’s paws and the human leg still visible. From these elements the scene can be read as the actual fight between the venator and the lion: to the left is the animal advancing toward the right, where the venator is expecting it. The two forelegs are better preserved and rendered as elongated, thick lines terminating in small circles indicating the paws. The hind legs are not very well preserved, but from the few extant lines it seems that they might have been more anatomically detailed. The tail is possibly made of a series of radial lines. In the right half of the scene, only one of the legs of the venator is still preserved. Bent, with the foot in profile, it gives the impression that the man might have been depicted as ready to lunge forward to attack the animal.

Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 315.

Drawing of a venatio