Roman Mosaics: Comparing The Camel Mosaic And The Alexander Mosaic

8 Pages 2001 Words

from the Chrysler Museum, entitled “Mosaic w/ Camel” to talk about. It is Roman from North Africa or Syria, 4th-5th century a.d. I will be comparing it with the Alexander Mosaic (App. 3), “The Battle of Issus” (6-38). It is Roman from the House of the Faun, Pompeii, 1st century b.c. In addition, I will compare the Camel Mosaic with “Young Women Exercising,” from the Roman villa at Piazza Armerina, early 4th century a.d.
The Camel Mosaic is a piece of art made by piecing small cube-shaped stones called tessarae of different colors into a bedding of soft mortar which would then squeeze into the spaces between the squares. This mosaic is typical of “late Roman themes: the hunt, the games, wild and domestic animals…” (Gardner 240). There are four to five colors used throughout this mosaic giving it a polychrome effect in which stones are arranged painstakingly to give graduations between the colors. This mosaic is also done in the technique opus vermiculatum, which stands for mosaics done in fine detail with curves that resemble tracks of worms. This style was usually reserved for pieces depicting humans, animals, and the like. Opus tessellatum was the other style used and was reserved for larger works such as roads and pathways in which geometric figures were mainly used. Therefore, they did not need the high amount of detail that went with the opus vermiculatum style.
This piece of art was probably made for an upper middle class man because of its loca...