Lot 44
Eastern Mediterranean/the Levant, late Roman to Byzantine period, ca. 4th to 6th century CE. A striking mosaic composed of tiny tesserae (tessellae) of different colored marble and black-grey slate. This may have been a decorative element in a room or a border for a much larger mosaic. It is rich with its own design of sparingly-used black on a warm yellowy background. A single line of black slate and then two lines of dark grey-brown marble outline the edges. The abstract pattern includes three perfectly round black rings with quadrant motifs in their centers that are accented by slightly darker stone, giving a shadow effect. The rings are connected by highly abstract motifs that look like insects - one a butterfly with pale wings and body, the other a dragonfly with black wings and body. Size: 16.75" W x 53" H (42.5 cm x 134.6 cm); size on frame: 18.35" W x 54.5" H (46.6 cm x 138.4 cm)
In the Roman province of Syria, which encompassed most of the ancient Near East/Levant, mosaics seem to have developed as a common art form relatively late, with most finds coming from the 3rd century CE or later. Syria was one of Rome's wealthiest provinces, but it was also far removed from Rome itself and Roman culture was overlaid on enduring cultural traditions from Hellenistic Greece and the great civilizations that came before it. Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern day Antakya, Turkey), was the capital of northern Roman Syria, and its excavations in the 1930s revealed more than three hundred mosaic pavements. Often the known mosaics from this region are mythological or religious scenes, but abstract patterns and borders are a key component of each of these.
We cannot find a perfectly comparable example with this type of subject matter and size. This example from Christie's is a border-like panel, with a less abstract design: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-byzantine-marble-mosaic-panel-circa-5th-6th-4026106-details.aspx?from=salesummery&intobjectid=4026106&sid=132d596e-915b-4df7-b5cd-36418e0d99fc and sold for $16730 in 2002; this enormous example from Christie's shows how the border might originally have looked in place: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-byzantine-mosaic-floor-circa-5th-6th-century-5385507-details.aspx
Provenance: Ex-Private New Jersey Collection acquired prior to 1980.
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#121213
- Condition: Very small losses to edges and small areas of loss to stone surfaces. Mounted on a honeycomb backing.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
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| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |