The Alexander Mosaic

ROMAN MOSAICS

Opus tessellatum Tessellae / tesserae

Opus sectile Opus vermiculatum Polychrome emblemata

MOSAICS: General background & Styles

- A Greek idea - made from cubes of stone from 2nd Century BC- Used as floor and wall decorationFashion evolved (till 2nd Century AD) - black/white geometric - polychrome, decorative patterns - scenes in style of Greek paintingA luxury, displaying wealth.

- 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)

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 fine example of geometric patterns in mosaic black/white floors of Hadrian’s Villa

The Basics

- 2nd Cent BC

- Adapted from earlier painting?

- Place – House of the Faun, on floor of exedra on north side of first peristyle.

- 3.20 by 5.50m

- Technique – Opus vermiculatum (wormlike). Curve and wind around

-Tesserae (stone pieces) very small.

ContentBattle of Issus 333 BC, or Gaugamela in 331 BC

Alexander on horseback, Bucephalus, spearing an enemy

Persian King, Darius III, fleeing on chariot

StyleMore like a painting than a mosaic. Much more three dimensional than normal mosaic. Realistic depiction of scene by using:

Shadowing – light from left

Shading

Foreshortening – Horses proportions correctly rendered in relation to the angle from which we see it, so that the part of the animal that is further away is shortened

Sense of depth through overlapping and three quarter views

Features linking to third or fourth century BC

Limitation of colours to white, yellow, red and black, the ‘four colour’ technique adopted by fourth and fifth century BC Greek painters

Scarcity of landscape features (only a tree and rocks)

Shallow depth of field in scene, any depth being conveyed by foreshortening and overlapping

Composition Persian King the key figure He is above the rest, while Alexander

slightly lower, is still above figures on his side

Darius arm outstretched and Alex spear raised

Linked by gesture and intensity of stare

Alexander given a wild eyed intensity Darius portrayed sympathetically -

looks in dismay Rest of action is a jumble of soldiers,

weapons and horses, conveying chaos and confusion of battle

Focus Greek inspired art, human participants focus

Question

In what ways is a sense of confusion or chaos depicted?