Eastern Roman Mosaic Depicting a Bird

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Eastern Roman Mosaic Depicting a Bird

About the Item

Eastern Roman Mosaic depicting a Bird Lebanon, 3rd Century A.D. Measures: 40 x 40 cm A charming Roman mosaic, depicting a bird, made from polished stone tesserae ranging from hues of jet black to ivory and burnt umber. The bird, perhaps a crane, has been caught stretching down its long neck and raising one leg to scratch with its beak. This piece, recovered from Lebanon, would have likely decorated the private villa of a wealthy member of its contemporary society, and is an attractive example of the love of nature and clarity of form that characterises the arts of the Eastern Roman Empire, which would lay the way for the rich, stylised motifs of later Byzantine art. In the 3rd century, Lebanon belonged to the Roman province of Syria Phoenice, created by Septimius Severus in 194 A.D, after the division of the earlier province of Syria into two separate districts. Historically, this had always been a particularly wealthy and influential part of the Roman world. Following its capture by Pompey in 64 B.C., the citizens of the region's principal cities - Byblos, Tyre and Sidon - had been granted Roman citizenship, and, owing to their critical position on the Silk Road, hosting the major harbours through which luxury goods from Asia flowed across the Mediterranean, as well as being key production centres for products like glassware and dye, these cities flourished during the pax romana, drawing merchants, artisans, and thinkers from all across the Empire. As a result, some of the finest examples of Roman mosaic work to be found anywhere in the world come from the temples and villas excavated in Lebanon, particularly those from the ancient city of Byblos, now housed in the National Museum of Beirut. The crane - the bird depicted here appears to be a demoiselle crane, a species found across Asia and parts of Africa - held a rich significance in the Greco-Roman religious world. In the Roman practice of augury, this was one of the birds that belonged to the 'oscines', whose cries were said to portend the future (as opposed to the 'alites', who gave omens by means of their movements in flight). It was also often noted in Antiquity that the formations taken by cranes in flight were suggestive of the Greek letters, lamda, gamma, delta and upsilon, giving rise to the legend that they had suggested the idea of the alphabet to Hermes, who then invented the letters. The crane also lent its Greek name to the 'Geranos dance' ('crane-dance'), an ancient ritual practice, originally developed by the Minoans, and according to Plutarch, brought to the rest of Greece by the hero Theseus: 'After arriving in Delo while he was returning from Crete, Theseus danced with the young Athenians a dance still performed by the inhabitants of the island, consisting of twisting and twisted movements that reproduce the shapes of the labyrinth. Dicearchos states that this dance is called ''Crane.''' Though the reasons this dance was associated with the crane remain obscure, one might naturally speculate that they relate to the elegant movements performed by these birds in the wild, sensitively captured on this mosaic fragment. Provenance: Former collection of Mr. Pierre Bart (1889 - 1964), official of the French mandate in Syria and Lebanon (1919 - 1936) and delegate to the Lebanese government until 1946. Exported from Lebanon in 1975 and thence by descent.

Dimensions:
Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
Style:
Classical Roman (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Stone
Place of Origin:
Lebanon
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
circa 3rd Century A.D.
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 429551stDibs: LU1052233024352