A Mosaic Panel with Floral Motif

Mosaic
Roman Empire, 4th-5th century AD
H. 51cm; L. 167cm

This sizable late Roman mosaic is designed with a lotus flower motif, and is composed of small stone squares (tesserae) of different colors, now securely ensconced upon a bed of cement and framed by a metal (brass) border. Mosaic pavements such as this decorated floors of temples and private homes of the wealthy, serving as both architectural decoration and works of art in their own right. A range of motifs were used, including floral, geometric, hunting, animal and mythological subjects. The stylization and the modernity of these patterns adapt perfectly to contemporary decoration and architectural surroundings.

Condition: very good

Provenance: Formerly with a Zurich located jewelry shop, embedded there by the owner in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

Item reference: VA1511