Prof.ssa Grazia DAuria 1 Single knowledge project Mosaics Museo Nazionale Bardo - Tunisi Mosaics.

11prof.ssa Grazia D’Auria

Single knowledge projectSingle knowledge project

Mosaics Mosaics Museo Nazionale Bardo Museo Nazionale Bardo - Tunisi- Tunisi



Single knowledge projectMosaics: research and history

CollaboratoriFAI Fondo Ambiente Italiano

CoordinatriceProf.ssa Grazia D’Auria


www.musivumopus.com/index.htm

http://www.bardomuseum.tn/

http://foto.inabruzzo.it/

http://catalepton.altervista.org/

Fonti per foto e articoli:

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/


Mosaici – Museo nazionale Bardo di Tunisi

The so-called "SeignorJulius" mosaic(The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)

Materials: Clay, marble - Dating: Beginning of V century A.D. - Origin: Carthage - Seignior Julius’s wealthy hours. Activities around a big Seigniorial domain in the Carthage suburbs.

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Trilobed mosaic representing a rural farm: The Master’s House (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)

Dating: IV century A.D. - Origin: Tabarka Materials: Limestone, marbleA mosaic panel representing a villa located in the centre of a large garden with fruit trees and a pool where geese, ducks, pheasants, and even pigeons evolve. The house is a multi-storey edifice flanked by two high corner towers related to each other by an arcaded portico. Like any other actual Mediterranean traditional

house, this house is designed around a central courtyard which is accessed by an arched portal.

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Trilobed mosaic representing an agricultural holding: The stables(The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)

Materials: Limestone, marble - Dating: IV century A.D. - Origin: Tabarka The pars rustica (stables and warehouses) of a Roman villa situated in a field of vines and olive trees. In the foreground, a woman spinning the yarn evokes the artisanal and domestic activity of weaving on the domain

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Virgil (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Sousse - Dating: Beginning of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

This was discovered in a house in Sousse (Hadrumetum). Virgil writing the VIII verse of the Aeneid while being inspired by the muses, Clio and Melpomene

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A domain at water’s edge (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: The Bizerte region (Sidi Abdallah) - Dating: End of IV – beginning of V century A.D. - Materials: Marble,

limestone. A representation of the Bizerte Lake in ancient times. The mosaic was discovered in a maritime villa in Sidi Abdallah at the Lake of Bizerte

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Dionysos punishing the pirates (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Dougga (Thugga) - Dating: III century A.D - Materials: Marble - Corresponding to this mosaic

pavement, another panel depicts another Homeric scene. It is about the VIIth hymn relative to Dionysos’ victory over the Tyrrhenian pirates. Portrayed as an adolescent, the god is accompanied by a Satyr mentor, a

Bacchant, and an old Silene. At his feet, a panther seems to be jumping off the boat to attack one of the pirates and devour him. The pirates, who are terrorized by the god-adolescent, jump into the water to become

dolphins. Two small boats evolve on both sides of the divine boat; one of them is carrying three characters, most likely fishermen, and the other is carrying two lovers

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A lion and four millet stems (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Uzitta - Dating: First half of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble, limestone

A mosaic panel representing a lion with a human-featured head. The big cat is depicted in profile while surrounded by four millet stems; two on each side, which constitutes the emblem of the sodality of the leontii.

The following text can be read on the top: O leo praesumsisti, expedisti dedicasti. This is intended to pay tribute to a member of the sodality; probably to the one who built the Thermae where this mosaic panel was

laid and discovered and where meetings of the leontii would be held.

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Diane the Huntress (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Utique - Dating: Second half of II century A.D. - Materials: Marble

This magnificent mosaic panel represents Diane the Huntress in the middle of a painting framed with a two-strand braid. The goddess, who is wearing short clothes with her hair held in a bun and wearing boots,

appears to be about to shoot an arrow at a gazelle which is quietly grazing acacia leaves

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Two fighting athletes (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Thuburbo Majus - Dating: End ofIII century A.D. - Materials: Marble

Main scene of a pavement representing two fighting nude pugilists. Their hands are protected with gloves. The scene is quite similar to a modern boxing match

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The lions (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia) Origin: Carthage - Dating: VI century A.D. - Materials: Marble

Two lions struggling on both sides of the tree of life.

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Animals’ spectacle (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia) Origin: Radès (Maxula per Rates) - Dating: IV century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A mosaic representing a show of animals during amphitheatre games

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Ecclesia Mater (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Tabarka - Dating: V century A.D. - Materials: Marble

Ecclesia mater (our mother, the Church). A mosaic representing the plan of a church in a flattened perspective. It represents the symbol of the Christian community to which the deceased Valentia belonged

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Unloading of a ship (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Sousse - Dating: 1st half of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A doorstep mosaic representing the unloading of a ship. On board, a seaman is holding two bars to two slaves to take them to the shore where two controllers weigh them using a big scale. This picture is a live

document that retraces port and African ship-owners’ activities during the Roman epoch

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Chariot race in a circus (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Gafsa (Capsa) - Dating: VI century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A circus game representation where chariot races, which thrill Roman-Africans, used to be held

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Cyclops forging Jupiter’s lightning (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Dougga (Thugga) - Dating: End of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

Three naked and sweaty cyclops, Brontes, SteropeandPyracmon, are forging Jupiter’s lightning which god Vulcan, who is sitting in front of them, is holding on the anvil

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God Ocean (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Utique - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A mosaic representing barbed god Ocean, loves overlapping dolphins, and the nuptial cortege of Poseidon and Amphitrite

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Poseidon’s Triumph and the four Seasons(The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)

Origin: Chebba - Dating: Mid III century A.D. - Materials: MarblePoseidon, god of the sea, on his chariot accompanied by a Triton and a Nereid

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Xenia (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: End of II century A.D. - Materials: Marble Different fragments of a triclinium’s (dining room) big mosaic pavement. The space is compartmentalised by a garland of laurel leaves forming square panels bordered by wall-hangings. Ready-to-consume victuals (Xenia)

figure inside each panel: wild boars and sows, female deers between small trees, a chaplet of thrushes suspended to a ring by their beaks, two wild ducks, a goat flanked with two small trees, a goose, a parrot, two

rock mullets, and white and dark grapes

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A bottle of wine (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: End of II century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A bottle of wine protected by its braided straw cover and accompanied by a stemmed glass with high purity lines

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Bestiarii feasting in the arena (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: 1st half of III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A banquet of gladiators talking to each other and feasting in the arena and disturbing a herd of resting bulls

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Ulysse et les Sirènes (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Provenance : Dougga - Datation : vers 260 ap. J.C

Ulysse résistant aux sirènes (Odyssée XII,160-200) Thugga-Dougga. IIIe s. ap. J.-C.

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Angler (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia) Origin: El Medeina (Althiburos) - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A mosaic representing a scene of angling

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The poet (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Thuburbo Majus - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

The sitting poet is inspired by the theatre

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The seven days of the week (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Bir Chana (Zaghouan region) - Dating: III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A mosaic representing the seven days of the week and the signs of the Zodiac

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Hunting to hounds (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: El Jem (Thysdrus) - Dating: Mid III century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A mosaic representing the successive phases of hunting to hounds

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A symbolic vision of Golgotha (The National Bardo Museum – Tunisia)Origin: Younga ( Iunca Mahrès region). - Dating: Beginning of VI century A.D. - Materials: Marble

A Martyrium threshold mosaic of the Iunca church representing a symbolic vision of Golgotha and the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

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Prof.ssa Grazia DAuria 1 Single knowledge project Mosaics Museo Nazionale Bardo - Tunisi Mosaics.

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Transcript of Prof.ssa Grazia DAuria 1 Single knowledge project Mosaics Museo Nazionale Bardo - Tunisi Mosaics.