Art History Animalia

For #MosaicMonday :

Mosaic of Tigress and Cubs

Eastern Roman Empire, 4th c.

Tesserae, 142.9 x 135.4 cm (56 1/4 x 53 5/16 in.)

On display at Cleveland Museum of Art 1987.65

More info from CMA:

“Despite its rectangular shape and creation from mostly square tesserae, this mosaic incorporates many curves in its composition, particularly for the tails of the tigers. With one cub on her back and two before her, the mother tiger reaches out with one paw and an open mouth, whether to scold or to play. Unlike lions, leopards, and bears, #tigers appear relatively rarely in Roman art, with the tigress seen more frequently than her male counterpart.”

#TwoForTuesday:

Ancient Roman lions on display at RISD Museum

1. LION'S-HEAD WATERSPOUT

c. 200 CE

Marble, 21.6 x 21.3 x 11.9 cm (8 1/2 x 8 3/8 x 4 11/16 in)

“This marble disk, carved in the form of a lion's head, would have functioned as an ornate waterspout in a fountain or nymphaeum (fountains with architectural settings for statuary) of a Roman House.

Embellishments such as this were popular in domestic gardens during the Roman era. The lion's features are now worn from centuries of weathering, and the calcium deposits around the mouth indicate a long period of use in antiquity. The back of the carved waterspout has been hollowed out into a funnel shape, which would have allowed a lead pipe (now lost) to stream water through the lion's open mouth.

In antiquity water displays were common in domestic settings — the sound of flowing water and the backdrop of a garden would have created a luxurious setting for entertaining guests.”

2. LION'S-HEAD HANDLE

2nd-3rd century CE

Bronze, 31.4 x 20.3 x 7.9 cm (12 3/8 x 8 x 3 1/8 in)

“The gaping jaws and bared teeth of this bronze lion's head convey the strength and ferocity that have made lions chosen guardian figures for millennia in both the Greek and Roman worlds. Representations of lions have been discovered in various contexts, appearing on gates and tombs in ancient Greece and on Roman sarcophagi (coffins), where they symbolize victory of the soul over death and evil. The four iron rivets visible in this lion's mane were the original attachments to a wooden door, chest, or perhaps a sarcophagus. This well-preserved handle, combining the artistic lion's head and the utilitarian swinging handle, is a stunning example of Roman decorative art.”

#MosaicMonday:

Mosaic Pavement Fragment: Peahen

Late Roman or Byzantine, Syria, 5th-6th c.

Stone & glass tesserae embedded in mortar

on display at Harvard Art Museums

“Identified by the crest atop its head, the peacock— or in the case of this fragment, a peahen — was a prominent motif that would have resonated throughout western Asia and the Mediterranean. Here the peacock may have functioned as a pagan symbol of springtime and renewal or as a Christian expression of the eternal triumph of Christ.“

#MosaicMonday:

Anicent Roman mosaic, 1st c. CE, Pushkin Museum collection.

🆔 Top = probably an Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), native to Asia. Bottom = Domesticated Guineafowl, derived from the Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris), native to Africa. (Both birds known in Europe since Ancient Greek times.)

The Striding Lion Sector 10-Q, Daphne, Antioch, Syria (present-day Turkey), 5th c. Stone & lime mortar mosaic Baltimore Museum of Art display

“The Striding Lion is a curious title for this mosaic because the lion appears to be lunging forward on his hind legs rather than striding on all four legs. The title makes sense, however, when we discover that the panel is but a fragment of a much larger composition. In its original state, the lion would have occupied the center of a floor, 28 feet long by 14 feet wide, and would have been oriented horizontally (as seen in the photograph below). Another fragment of the same mosaic pavement may be seen on the wall to the left.

This type of mosaic is called a carpet-pattern mosaic because its grid-like trellis pattern resembles carpets woven in the Persian Empire. The original mosaic, divided into 86 sections, contained images of fruit, flowers, birds, fish, antelopes, and even pumpkins to suggest Antioch's great abundance of flora and fauna. On a deeper level, the imagery may refer to political and social changes occurring in Antioch during the 5th century. The prominence of the lion, a Persian metaphor for strength, implies the Persian culture was influencing a society that had always considered itself part of the Roman Empire. The peacock, a Christian symbol for resurrection, may allude to the increasing strength and power of the Christian Church.”

For #WorldSnakeDay: check out this pair of teeny tiny clay snakes from Ancient Rome! You can see these cuties on display at the Reading Public Museum.

For #WorldGiraffeDay:

A giraffe in the procession of Triumph of Dionysus Sarcophagus! Roman Imperial c. 190 CE, Thasian marble. On display at Walters Art Museum.

#MosaicMonday special for #WorldFrogDay:

A frog chilling on a lotus leaf surrounded by curious (hungry?) waterfowl in a Nilotic scene, Roman mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii, 1st century BCE. Museo Archeologico di Napoli collection. [image: Wikimedia Commons]

#MosaicMonday for #LunarNewYear #YearOfTheRabbit:

Mosaic Panel with Rabbit Roman, from Syria, possibly Emesa (present-day Homs) 5th-6th century Stone tesserae 68.6 cm × 114.3 cm [Getty Museum 75.AH.118]

For #FrescoFriday: detail of a Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) from the garden fresco in the House of the Golden Bracelet, Pompeii, c. 30-35 CE. Contemporary sources indicate this bird was often kept in captivity, not for food, but as a prized pet.

[Wikimedia Commons]