Transcript Hadrian`s Villa Mosaics Show

Mosaics
from Hadrian’s
Villa
Date:125-134AD (2nd phase of Villa)
Location: The floor of the Central
Court, Hadrian’s Villa
Height: 52cm Width: 62cm
Materials: Coloured stone and glass
What I need to know: Subject
matter, stylistic features, process of
mosaic making
MOSAICS: General background & Styles
- A Greek idea
- made from cubes of stone from 2nd
Century BC
- Used as floor and wall decoration
Fashion evolved (till 2nd Century AD)
- black/white geometric
- polychrome, decorative patterns
- scenes in style of Greek painting
A luxury, displaying wealth.
OPUS VERMICULATUM
-figured scenes made from tiny tesserae,
small (1-4mm) coloured cuboid stones.
- Set into wet mortar in flowing lines and
curves (worm-like) – like brush strokes.
-tiny tessarae in graduated colours simulated
painting.
- Hadrian’s mosaics are fine examples.
- some made on site inset directly in floor
- floor prepared, leveled, straw/mortar/
brick/lime layers to give solid foundation all
on a bed of wooden planks
- some prefabricated in workshop
-held together with a glued cloth
-taken to site and laid in frame in soft
mortar, glue dissolved and cloth removed.
-called emblemata (Gk for portable mosaic)
Some fine example
of geometric
patterns in mosaic
black/white floors
of Hadrian’s Villa
MOSAICS: Greek painting influences
- Based scenes on Greek wall paintings (Hadrian the helenophile)
- Used imported marble form Greece to give subtler colour range (like paint)
CHARCTERISTICS
- spatial depth (3D on a 2D surface)
- foreshortening
- different levels
(foreground/midground/background)
- overlapping figures
- linear perspective (no vanishing
point)
- use of shadows
- fading distance (atmospheric
perspective).
- naturalistic, including landscape,
mood.
- Highlighting & shading
- sense of volume.
Compare this
With this
OUR MOSAICS
-Both the mosaics in our study were from the
floor of the central courtyard of the Piazza d’Oro
-Both are polychrome (mutlicoloured),
tessellated (made from tesserae), emblemata
(prefabricated)
-Greek in content and style
-Made in the second phase of the Tivoli villa’s
construction (about 130AD)
THE GOAT MOSAIC
A figured scene with landscape water and vegetation of 5 Goats peacefully grazing by a stream with a goat herd or god
STYLE
CONTENT
-Goats naturalistic,
different angles &
On the rock is a
viewpoints
bronze, wreathed
figure with a staff
spatial depth (3D on a
(left) and bunch of
2D surface)
grapes (R)
-Foreshortening
Fertility symbol
on the tablet
Goatherd? female
fertility deity?
likely Dionysus
(goats, grapes,
fertility symbols)
- different levels
(foreground/midground
/background)
- overlapping figures
- linear perspective (no
vanishing point)
- use of shadows
“Sacro-idyllic”
- fading distance
(atmospheric
perspective).
-naturalistic, including
landscape, mood.
- Highlighting &
shading
- sense of volume.
CONTENT
A violent scene
from nature with
rocks, water,
vegetation
Golden lion with
dark mane attacks
a brown bull
On other side of
the pool a cow
jumps back in
fright
THE LION MOSAIC
STYLE
-Animals naturalistic,
different angles &
viewpoints
spatial depth (3D on a
2D surface)
-Foreshortening
- different levels
(foreground/midground
/background)
- overlapping figures
- linear perspective (no
vanishing point)
- use of shadows
Lines of blood
Rocks and tree
balance the scene
- fading distance
(atmospheric
perspective).
-naturalistic, including
landscape, mood.
- Highlighting &
shading
- sense of volume.