Grand in stature, the principal structures were further enhanced with decorative mosaics depicting an assortment of animals, detailed frescoes and highly crafted stucco carvings.
Further digging has taken him into one of the villa's outer rooms, where he could see decorative mosaics on the floors.
But the scope of the collection - stained glass, decorative mosaics, busts, statues, bas-reliefs, vases, candelabra - was not known until now.
The chief interest, apart from the architecture, are the decorative mosaics, some of which date back to the 5th century.
The firm also made decorative mosaic, photographic, painted, lustre, transfer-printed, and relief-moulded tiles.
An octagonal marble baptismal font with a decorative mosaic is at the entrance to the cathedral.
"One who can do decorative mosaics, one that can be set in the wall above the main door to the barracks there."
Above the Blue Hall lies the Golden Hall (Gyllene Salen), named after the decorative mosaics made of more than 18 million tiles.
They now form a frame to a decorative mosaic of Hammersmith Bridge in the station's north ticket hall.
There is a decorative mosaic made from encaustic glass tiles on the altar platform.