Mosaic Muses

The Muses (Ancient Greek: Μοῦσαι Mousai; perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- "think") in Greek mythology are the goddesses of the inspiration of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, song-lyrics, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures. They were later adopted by the Romans as a part of their pantheon.

The Muses, the personification of knowledge and the arts, especially literature, dance and music, are the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory personified). Hesiod's account and description of the Muses was the one generally followed by the writers of antiquity. 

It was not until Roman times that the following functions were assigned to them, and even then there was some variation in both their names and their attributes: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Euterpe (flutes and lyric poetry), Thalia (comedy and pastoral poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Terpsichore (dance), Erato (love poetry), Polyhymnia (sacred poetry), Urania (astronomy).

Muse	Domain	Emblem
Calliope	Epic Poetry	Writing tablet, Stylus, Lyre
Clio	History	Scrolls, Books, Cornet, Laurel wreath
Euterpe	Music, Song, Ellegiac Poetry	Aulos (an ancient Greek musical instrument like  a flute), panpipes, laurel wreath.
Aerato	Lyric Poetry	Cithara (an ancient Greek musical instrument  in the lyre family)
Melpomene	Tragedy	Tragic mask, Sword (or any kind of blade), Club, Kothornos  (boots)
Polyhymnia	Hymns	Veil, Grapes (referring to her as an agricultural  goddess)
Terpsichore	Dance	Lyre, Plectrum
Thalia	Comedy	Comic mask, Shepherd's crook (the vaudeville  act of pulling someone off the stage with a  hook is a reference to Thalia's crook),  Ivy wreath
Urania	Astronomy	Globe and compass

It is interesting to note that both words "Muse" and "Mosaic" share the same etymology. Medieval Latin "musaicum" literally meant "of the muses" and was used to designate what we later called "mosaic".

And so we know of many mosaics describing them 9 muses. 

A gorgeous Set was discovered in Zeugma, Turkey in 2014.

And an other amazing set in the Island of Rhodes.

And an amazing one was unearthed much more to the North in the Vilage of Viichter close to Luxembourg. 

In a next Post, I'll show you some individual portraits of our 9 Μοῦσαι.

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.

 

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The Pasiphae Mosaic in Zeugma (Turkey)

This extraordinary mosaic covers close to 800 Square feet of the floor of a huge meeting hall of a Roman Villa from Zeugma (Turkey).

It represents the myth of Queen Pasiphaé (sitting on her throne).

The Greek version of the myth goes like that (please keep in mind that the Greeks did not really like the Minoans, and were a very patriarchical culture) : Pasiphae - Sister of the beautiful and wicked Enchanteress Circe (who once had changed Odysseus comrades into hogs) - had been given as spouse to King of Crete Minos.  

For some obscure reason - either her or Minos had pissed him off - Poseidon curse the Queen to fall in lust with a White Bull belonging to the King.

The Queen hired the King's Engineer in Chief Daedalus to assist in her endeavour to be coupled to the Bull. With the help of his son and apprentice Icarus, Daedalos built a hollow wooden cow, wrapped in a bovine skin and endowed with mechanical life. Hiding inside this contraption the Queen was able to copulate with the Bull. From their unusual union she conceived and bore the hybrid bull-headed child Asterion, also called Minotauros by the Greeks.

 

Pasiphae & the Minotaur, Apulian red-figure kylix
4th B.C., Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

In the emblema of the mosaic pavement Pasiphae (ΦACIΦAH), an unidentified maiden and her Nanny - Trophos (TPOΦOC) watch as Daedalus (ΔΕɅɅΟC) and his son Icarus (ΕIKAPOC) with his woodworking tools are building the wooden cow. 

The same myth was represented in a fresco from the Casa dei Vettii in Pompeii. It is very interesting to note that the 5 same persons are represented, and above all, that the Queen is posing in almost the same posture and outfit in the fresco and mosaic.

300 years separate the 2 pieces... The fresco was likely realized during the 1st century AD (Pompeii was destroyed in 79 AD), and most of the Zeugma mosaics were laid during the 2nd century BC. 

Were there patterns or workbooks of mythical representations that master craftmen were passing to each other ?


The Zeugma Mosaics  can be seen at the Gaziantep Archaeology Museum in Turkey.

I am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts. I share my passion in my newsletter, as well as the work of other more modern mosaicists working with traditional or non-traditional media. 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@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

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When you make mosaics according to the reverse method, often the colours are much duller than if you would work direct. This is due tot the fact that the back of the tesserae are usually not polished and do not shine as their front does.

So when I want to have a better idea of what the completed piece will look, I spray it with water. I keep in my shop a spray bottle for this purpose.






Here we have the same Michi mosaic at 2 stages of completion.


I took this first picture directly without spraying the piece with anything.

When I took the second picture a few days later, I had sprayed the piece with water. You can see how much blacker the granite looks. Generally speaking everything looks brighter.

Water has that amazing power to get everything unpolished brighter. It acts as a sort of temporary polish which reflects the light off the piece.

Here is the completed piece on the right.

This interesting use of water to help visualize the finished aspect of a misaic is also clearly illustrated in this short video of a wonderful Roman floor mosaic in the antic town of Zeugma, Turkey.

Ancient floor mosaics were very likely waxed for 2 reasons : it protected the stones from being stained and it made them look better ! 

When I complete one of my pieces, I first treat it with a waterproofing product - this makes sure the grout is waterproof. It is important if the mosaic is displayed outside in a cold weather. Wet grout does not freeze well ! Then I wax and buff it.

The mosaics shown above are a representation of a Chinese ideogram signifying  "the Way" as the way things are or are done. The Chinese pronounce it Tao - as in Taoism, and the Japanese Do - as in Judo or Kendo; or Michi. It is the emblem displayed in the back of the Yoshukai Karate Organization to which I belong.

The red one is available for sale.

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If you are interested in purchasing one of my mosaics, would like to commission a special project or to simply discuss the wonderful art of modern and ancient mosaics, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.