A site in Israel continues to turn up stunning polychromatic mosaics from the late Roman empire that challenge current notions of ancient Jewish aesthetics and the art of depicting scripture.
Tag: mosaics
Posted inNews
Florida Museum Unearths Ancient Mosaics It Buried Years Ago and Lost Track Of
In the 1960s museum officials buried the mosaics as a mysterious storage solution that puzzles staff to this day.
Posted inBooks
Ukraine’s Monumental Soviet-Era Mosaics
Often unremarked or dismissed as state propaganda, Ukraine’s Soviet-era mosaics are also artworks in themselves that speak to a complex history.
Posted inArt
An Ancient Mosaic of the God of Wine Debuts in New York
The Onassis Cultural Center NY is showcasing four decades of archaeological findings from Dion, the ancient Greek village that tried to get as close to the gods as possible by building shrines and structures on the slopes of Mount Olympus.
Posted inIn Brief
1,700-Year-Old Mosaic Unearthed in Israel
Israel Antiquities Authority yesterday unveiled a large, 1,700-year-old mosaic floor featuring intricate patterns and images of animals, uncovered in the city of Lod, about nine miles southeast of Tel Aviv.
Posted inArt
Various Visions of the Future in NYC’s First New Subway Station in 25 Years
It only took a day after Sunday’s opening for a candy bar wrapper to lodge beneath the new wooden bench of the 34th Street-Hudson Yards platform, and vague stains to appear on the station’s light granite floor tiles.
Posted inArt
A Midcentury Manhattan Mosaic Returns to Public View
A midcentury mosaic forgotten for years beneath metal paneling on a Midtown Manhattan office building is now restored and on permanent public view.
Posted inNews
Botched Restoration Leaves Ancient Mosaics Looking Like Cartoons
It’s been nearly three years since an ill-trained restorer bestowed Beast Jesus upon the world (wide web), but now a mosaic artist in southern Turkey is calling attention to the cartoonish makeover given to Roman mosaics.
Posted inArt
How Mosaics Are Shaping Haiti’s Future
When the 2010 earthquake hit Haiti, it leveled much of Jacmel’s colonial architecture, and the streets were given over to piles of rubble. In the wake of this disaster, visitors to the country’s cultural capital might be surprised to find that dozens of mosaics now enliven its walls, plazas, and public seating areas.
Posted inArt
New Roman Mosaic at Met Shows an Animal Foodchain
A new Roman mosaic on view at the Metropolitan might have been used for an entertaining parlor, but its imagery is anything but peaceful. Excavated in Lod, Israel, the 300 A.D. mosaic is thought to be from the home of a wealthy Roman, installed in a room that would have been used for hosting guests. The Lod mosaic is also unique in that it’s incredibly well-preserved; the colors of the tiles pop like nothing that’s 1700 years old should. What really pops, though, is the mosaic’s imagery. Composed of hunting scenes that focus heavily on animals eating each other, it’s a pretty strange sight.