The Mona Lisa of Gallilee - A case of plagiarism in Roman Mosaic Art ?

Since the beginning of humanity, artists have been borrowing from each other.  In a previous post, I wrote about the amazing similarities between a 2nd century BC Pasiphae Mosaic in Zeugma - Turkey and a 1st century AD fresco from the House of the Vettii in Pompeii, Italy. 

Today I'd like to share with you an example of a troubling resemblance between 2 Roman mosaics.

The stunning Mona Lisa of Galilee was unearthed from the ancient city of Sepphoris, an ancient town  grown between the 1st cent. BC and the 7th century to become a thriving administrative, commercial and religious center with a diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-religious population of some 30,000 living in relatively peaceful coexistence.

 

The Mona Lisa of Galilee

 

Her enigmatic smile can presently be admired in the antic town of Zippori on the Triclinium floor of the Roman Villa.

I stumbled on the "Mosaique au buste feminin" - Female Torso mosaic - browsing the Internet for Roman mosaic portraits, and she immediately reminded me of someone...

 

This gorgeous piece had been auctioned by a French Art Dealer for the modest price of 5,500.00 Euros.

 

 

Mosaique au buste feminin.

Although obviously the two pieces are not of the same aesthetic quality, the resemblance is stunning. This beauty cannot possibly be a copy made from memory. Either she was laid from a drawing made after the first piece, or the drawing used to lay her was a copy of the drawing used to lay the first piece.

Unfortunately, we do not know the provenance of this mosaic. My attempts at contacting the auctioneer were not successful. The catalog lists her as "ca 4th century AD", which would make both mosaics contemporary. 

Now, why would a modern mosaic artist care for this kind of things ? Well, maybe for the same reasons why Renaissance masters cared for Roman Art...

I am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts.

You can see my own mosaics on my site at mosaicblues.  

If you are interested by my work or would like to drop me a line please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com 
or by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

You can also 

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

The Mosaics at Tel Aviv Airport

The first thing you see when you arrive at Tel Aviv Airport is a set of 3 huge mosaics above the gate to the Immigration lines ! 

 

On the Left, a magnificent mosaic floor was discovered in a Byzantine structure (5th-6th C AD) in BethLehem of the Galilee  features animals, birds, trees, grapes, and geometric patterns.

 

On the Upper Right a mosaic floor from Beth-Shean was dated to the Byzantine period, 5-6th Century AD. It is decorated with a pattern of green parrots, each bird wearing a ribbon tied around its neck.  

 

 

 

The Greek inscription at the top reads : "Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out." (Deuteronomy 28:6). This text from the Bible is indeed appropriate for welcoming the visitors to the Holy Land.

On the Lower Right, the 6th Century AD mosaic on display comes from Caesarea Maritima. It is lavishly decorated with birds, geometric shapes, animals and trees, and in its center a woman holds a fruit basket. Her Greek name, Kalokeria, is inscribed around the figure and suggests prosperity.

 

 

 

 

I am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts. You can see some of my own mosaics on my site mosaicblues.

 

If you are interested by my work

or if you would like to drop me a line, please 

contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com  

or by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

 

 

You can also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

to receive regular updates on my present

Yezidi Eyes Mosaic Project, 

and my other projects.

 

The Roman Mosaic of Lod

In 1996 a series of gorgeous mosaic floors was accidentally uncovered during highway construction in the modern Israeli town of Lod, 15 km (9 miles) from Tel Aviv. 

Lod is the ancient town of Lydda, which was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 66 during the Jewish War and later rebuit.  

The mosaic floors measure approximately 17 by 9 meters (50 by 27 feet). Debris of pottery and coins of the third and fourth centuries A.D., suggest they were laid in about A.D. 300. 

They are of exceptional quality and in an excellent state of preservation. The three best-preserved and most interesting panels have been selected for the loan exhibition that is to tour America during the next couple of years while a permanent display is constructed at Lod itself.

Mosaics were a costly and time-consuming addition to a property, although they would thereafter require little maintenance and could be expected to last a lifetime. Because of the heavy initial investment however considerable care and attention was paid to create designs that were attractive and appropriate, both to the owner and to the setting.  

  

Despite all the diversity in their manner of execution, design, geographical setting, and dating, Roman mosaics display a number of similarities. So it is very possible that some elements of the Lod Mosaic drew on standard pattern books in use by mosaicists of the Roman Empire. Dolphins are common on Greek mosaics from Delos, marine scenes in Pompeii, and panels with animals and birds within geometric frames in German  Cologne of French Arles.

The central Panel

The depiction on the Lod Mosaic of solitary or paired groups of creatures, such a large feline hunting a grazing animal, forms part of the common stock of genre subjects. 

The central panel with its assortment of African and other animals is absolutely remarkable. The depiction of an elephant, giraffe, and rhinoceros must have been very striking on the coastal plains of ancient Palestine, where such animals were unfamiliar. 

Exhibition Schedule in the USA :

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

September 28, 2010-April 3, 2011

Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

April 23, 2011-July 24, 2011

The Field Museum, Chicago

later

Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio 

later