Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, most likely up toward Antioch, ca. 3rd to 4th century CE. A well-executed Roman mosaic depicting a lush tree with a leafy canopy and a strong trunk. The artist took care to allude to the presence of sunlight cast from the left. This creates a wonderful effect on the branches and leaves, rendered with square, rectangular, and triangular stone tesserae in a rich palette of sage, forest green, sienna, russet, almond, black, and white hues. Given the immense artistry and technique required to create such a mosaic, it likey came from the floor or wall of a luxurious Roman villa. Size: 23" W x 34.25" H (58.4 cm x 87 cm)
Mosaics (opus tesellatum) are some of our enduring images from the Roman world, 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 the Roman province of Syria, which encompassed most of the ancient Near East/Levant, mosaics seem to have developed as a popular art form relatively late, with most finds coming from the 3rd century CE or later. Syria was one of Rome's wealthiest provinces, but it was also far removed from Rome itself and Roman culture was overlaid on enduring cultural traditions from Hellenistic Greece and the great civilizations that came before it. For example, Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern day Antakya, Turkey), was the capital of northern Roman Syria, and its excavations in the 1930s revealed more than three hundred mosaic pavements.
Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection; Formerly the property of a European gentleman who acquired it between 1970 and 1980 from a licensed dealer in Lebanon.
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#152877
Condition
A section from a larger mosaic, however the tree is quite complete. Expected chips, cracks, and minor losses to tesserae. Stabilized fissures in matrix surrounding mosaic, but mosaic is stable. Nice mineral deposits across areas of surface. Perforations on verso for hanging. Mosaic has wonderful honeycomb making if relatively light. Modern matrix with a metal frame surrounding mosaic. Flexing can be a disaster for a mosaic. Honeycombing will not allow that to happen. The mosaics mounted on honeycomb are less than half the weight of the old cement mosaics.