A Roman Saga in Mosaic

HAD THERE EXISTED no form of art in the ancient world, our knowledge of the lives and habits of our ancestors would have been woefully sparse. It is through the delicately crafted iron and bronze sculptures and seals that we know of the scale and progress of antiquarian civilisations; and through the intricacy of crafts preserved over centuries that we are made aware of the finesse and creativity of those who came before us.

This idea is the catalyst behind Mosaico: Italian Code of a Timeless Art, an exhibition of Italian mosaics dating back 2,000 years. Presented by the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre in New Delhi and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the exhibition consists of mosaics of varying sizes and multimedia works explaining the history and heritage of mosaic art. It is on display at the Humayun’s Tomb Museum, Delhi.

“The ravages of time led to the loss of frescoes and paintings made in the Roman empire. Hence, the art of mosaics allows us to understand how art evolved under the Romans. It also provides a glimpse of the culture of that time,” says Andrea Anastasio, director of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, and curator of the exhibition.

The art of mosaic usually consists of geometric and figurative images created by meticulously arranging tiny pieces of stone, glass and other materials in a pat­tern. It was first recorded in Mesopotamia around the 3rd millennium BCE, and evolved into the Greco-Roman style by the 5th century BCE. The Greeks defined the art form by embedding pebbles in mortar to create a design, but the Romans gave it life and depth by using tesserae or tiny pieces of stone, ceramic or glass cut into particular shapes and sizes.

Over centuries, the art form continued to be refined and came to depict the status of those who commissioned its creation. At first, mosaics were used mostly as elaborate and decorative flooring in the villas of wealthy aristocrats to welcome important guests. Grad­ually, the aspirational value of the art form ensured that even the less prosperous found ways of incorporating it in their homes—stick­ing to black and white tiles or including a small but intricate mosaic only in the centre.

From mythological scenes to the daily life of citizens, plenty of subjects were covered, and some like exotic animals, received extra attention. There were also battles, sporting contests, forms of agriculture, eating habits, fashion, tools and weapons. From adorning floors, mosaics moved to walls, becoming ubiquitous in bathhouses.

As the Roman Empire expanded, so did this art form with examples of Roman mosaics discovered as far as France and Tunisia. With the passage of time, Christian motifs became popular in all forms of art, and intricate, larg­escale mosaics depicting scenes from the Testament were incorporated in churches and other public spaces.

Mosaics of this period display an intimate knowledge of the technique of chiaroscuro—the display of depth and expression through a strategic use of dark and light colours—which reached its peak during the Renaissance of the 14-17th centuries CE.

The exhibition is divided into two zones. The first of these includes five samples of aged mosaics from the famed collection of the Musei Capitolini in Rome. These were part of the archaeo­logical discoveries made when the modern city of Rome was chosen to be the capital of a unified Italy after the Risorgimento in 1871.

An important piece is a decorative geometric pattern from the villa of Roman em­peror Hadrian in Tivoli, dated around 120 BCE, and believed to be among the largest and most elaborate Roman villas known. Another, featuring a muscular male figure, is from a bathhouse built by emperor Septimius Severus.

“Hadrian’s Villa is a premier example of exotic architecture. He actually replicated the examples of buildings that he saw on his travels throughout the empire. This practice of people being inspired by foreign architecture to make their homes is fairly common now, but Hadrian was the first to popula­rise it,” says Anastasio.

A small piece which shows two naked fishermen pulling their nets out of water, is special because it was discov­ered in its entirety, eschewing the need for restoration. Its tiny, precious stones include bright blue turquoise prob­ably imported from the East. The piece was part of a larger emblema, which is a mosaic picture mounted on a ceramic base and was created separately and placed within a simpler mosaic made on the spot. Another detailed design shows two peacocks pecking at a smaller bird, marking the funerary symbolism of its inclusion on the floor of a family tomb.

The second part of the exhibition is a multimedia presentation conceived and produced by Magister Art. Through a series of films made using cutting-edge technology and by employing an immer­sive storytelling method, one can learn about important Roman mosaics and their heritage.

Divided into seven sections, this ex­hibit showcases a mosaic each from Rome, Pompeii, Aquileia, Ravenna, Palermo, Monreale, Piazza Armerina and the city of Baia which is submerged in water. In Anastasio’s words, it provides a deep dive into how mosaics were used as a medium for storytelling, cultural expression and religious devotion, demonstrating the continued relevance of this artistic form.

Perhaps the most famous of the works is a gigantic piece discovered in the ruins of Pompeii. It is a floor mosaic from the luxu­rious Villa del Fauno or the house of the faun, depicting the elaborate battle scene of Issus where Alexander the Great de­feated Darius III. Having been buried for centuries underground by Mt Vesuvius’ eruption, its intricacy is astounding. Four million tiles were used to show soldiers, horses and weaponry in the act of destruction.

The astonishingly large mosaic of Piazza Armerina in Sicily—dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries BCE and spread across a vast 20,000 sq mts—was also preserved by nature when the area was struck by landslides and flooding. Commissioned by a wealthy Roman, this mosaic includes a map of the area, and im­ages of all animals known to man at the time— elephants, tigers, rhinos, giraffes and more. There were also many cultural scenes and symbols, like the infamous bi­kini girls captured playing various sports. “It’s probably the first depiction of sports known to man,” says Anastasio.

OTHER RICH EXAMPLES of mosaics come after Christianity was firmly absorbed and made the official religion of the Roman Empire. One from Aquileia in the northeast of Italy depicts biblical scenes made in the Byzantine style. Ravenna’s nine basilicas have their walls and ceilings covered in mosaics made primarily with glass tiles owing to the material’s sturdy nature, ease of use and versatility of form. These works would have employed the skill of numer­ous craftsmen and taken eons to create. They also mark the shift of Christianity from Judaism and later Islam, where the idea of depicting God as an image is taboo.

Yet, in the most recent example of mosaics—from the 10th-11th cen­tury CE—in the Cappella Palatina of Palermo, motifs from all three beliefs are incorporated. Christianity, Judaism and Islamic culture peacefully coexisted at the time, which resulted in iconic art replete with symbols of all three.

Anastasio rightly points out, “It would be impossible for people to see the mosaics and everything they represent this close in real life, because most of these are made either on large floors, on high ceilings or on the doors of churches. This is a unique opportunity for Indian viewers to embark on a wonderful journey that takes you across the entire Italian peninsula.”

It is indeed a rarity for invaluable antiq­uities of this nature to travel outside their home country, owing to the risk of damage in transportation. One could call it the ulti­mate act of trust towards the host country. To promote the exhibition, the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre has planned a number of events over the coming months, including film screenings, talks and discussions, as well as workshops for students in the art of mosaic.

The Humayun Museum of Delhi is certainly a complementary fit. As Ratish Nanda from the Aga Khan Trust explains, “We are so pleased we could get these mosaics to the Humayun’s Tomb Museum. The mosaic craftsmanship is so similar to Mughal pietra dura (a decorative art style in which marble is inlaid with semi-precious stones to create mosaic-like patterns), which originated in Italy, as well as the mother of pearl in­lay in lacquer that we were able to revive and put on display here.”

(Mosaico: Italian Code of a Timeless Art is on display at the Humayun’s Tomb Museum, Delhi, till August 30.)

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