Villa Real Hotel Art Collection

The Villa Real Hotel is possibly the most unique and appropriate place to house the collection of more than 100 Roman mosaics from the 2nd-6th centuries that forms part of the art collection of Derby Hotels Collection and is permanently exhibited in its public spaces and guest rooms. Most come from the Roman province of Syria and some of them were probably created in the renowned workshops of Antioch.

They stand out for their geometric motif designs in combination with a variety of shapes: circles, squares, meanders, waves, rhombuses and zigzag lines; the frequent depiction of plants and animals in the compositions; and the presence of human figures in mythological or everyday scenes. Some works with texts written in Greek and Syrian are from Christian churches and contain prayers addressed to God by the faithful who financed the realisation of the mosaic.

The Villa Real Hotel also displays a collection of Apulian vases originating from southern Italy which were used in the cemeteries of Magna Grecia. Apulian vases technically and stylistically were derived from Attican red-figure pottery and depict elaborate representations of funereal and mythological themes and everyday life.

This contrasts with a collection of contemporary art represented by artists of the likes of Andy Warhol, Antoni Tàpies and Guinovart.