The Myth of Andromeda and Perseus has been the subject of numerous ancient and modern works of
art, which typically show the moment when Perseus rescues her from the Monster Cetos.
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| Andromeda & Perseus - Fresco, Pompeii |
When her mother Queen Cassiopeia boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sent the sea monster Cetus to ravage the coast of Ethiopia. An Oracle
announced that to save his kingdom the King would have to sacrifice his daughter to the monster. And so Andromeda was chained naked to a rock on the coast.
Perseus, who was passing by on his way back from slaying Medusa came to rescue the Maiden. Sneaking upon Cetus under a cloak of invisibility, he killed him, set Andromeda free, and married her.
On this 3rd century mosaic from Gaziantep, Turkey, Perseus is still holding the head of Medusa slained earlier in the story.
The names on the mosaics are written in Greek characters as People from that part of the empire were generally speaking Greek rather than latin.
Mosaic borders were expertly used by Roman mosaicists to create the same effect wooden frames have on paintings. The relatively simple design of this one contrasts with the intricacies of the mythological scene and pulls our eyes and attention toward the main scene.
Here is this pattern :
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| Andromeda - Perseus Mosaic border pattern. |
I am currently building a library of Roman Mosaic borders to be used in modern mosaics.
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| Meander border on Carola Quinta Mosaic (Work in Progress) |
Would you be interested in using some of those patterns for your own art ? Please contact me at frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com.
I am a French mosaicist
living in Headland, Alabama, USA.
My Art is about inspiring people.
You can see some of my work
You can contact me either by phone
at (334) 798 1639 or by email at
You can also subscribe to my
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