Lot 98C
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A well-executed mosaic depicting a row of five Roman edifices, perhaps representing horrea (singular horreum) which are usually thought of as grainaries but were also used as storage houses for olive oil, wine, foods, valuables, or materials like marble, in earthtone hues of russet, yellow ochre, taupe, white, and peachy beige. All is set before a black tesserae background and 'framed' by a striated border of red, beige, and black. The forms are skillfully arranged and colored to form a trompe l'oeil perspectival effect - with each tomb appearing to emerge from the dark background. Size: 27.5" W x 18.625" H (69.8 cm x 47.3 cm) Size: 15.125" W x 5.5" H (38.4 cm x 14 cm); 16.5" W x 6.625" H (41.9 cm x 16.8 cm) with wooden surround
Mosaics (opus tesellatum) are some of our most enduring images from the Roman world, exciting not only for their aesthetic beauty, but also because they reveal what Romans chose to depict and see every day decorating their private and public spaces. In this case, the subject matter is relatively simple, five horrea. Horrea were created in various forms. For instance, the horrea of Rome and the port of Ostia was two or more stories high - built with ramps to provide access to the upper floors. Others were built as rows of shops, like we see in this image. Mosaics also demonstrate the ancients' artistry. This example, for instance, shows the mosaicist's skill in creating perspective. Other mosaic compositions that demonstrated cube-like forms in perspective in a similar manner to this one, only intended to depict purely decorative motifs rather than figural imagery, include the House of the Faun in Pompeii, tablinum (ca. 100 BCE) and Pergamon, Building z, the mosaic of Silenus with the child Dionysos (the area surrounding the figural panel).
Provenance: private Davis Collection, Houston, Texas, USA
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#132892
- Condition: Losses to tesserae at peripheries and interior sections as shown. Set into a modern plaster matrix with a wooden surround.
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