Mosaic in Ancient Rome

The themes of mosaics spanned as wide as the imagination: Geometric patterns could range from simple to extremely complex three dimensional effects. Mosaics could also depict figures, animals and any other type of form one might care for. For example, shops in the Roman port city of Ostia frequently depicted the type of commerce undertaken on the premises, for example fish of varying types would be an obvious choice for a fish-mongers. Sea monsters and divinities would also be a common theme in the bottom of bathing pools. One particular mosaic at Ostia is of interest because it tells us much about the stages of initiation into the Mithraic religion: information which is otherwise not available to us through other sources.

Floor mosaics were more common than those on walls. The art of mosaic gave a great deal of importance to the uniformity of the surface and as such a great deal of effort was spent on creating the perfect ground on which to lay the tesserae.

The finest examples however were those mosaics which were produced for purely ornamental purposes. My favourite example is an impressively rendered bowl of fruit. A perfect still life found in Hadrian's villa. The vibrancy and vitality of this piece is unseen well into the Renaissance when still life as an ends to itself finally made a come-back through artists such as Caravaggio. These highly intricate works were generally smaller in size and would often be mounted in a workshop, on a support of their own which could then be inserted into a larger setting, for example a wall, on site.

Wall mosaics were not very common in ancient Rome and were generally restricted to the decoration of fountains where the mosaic would be mixed with other decoration such as encrusted shells or rocks. The themes would often be related to water and the arts, for example inspired by the mythical fountain around which the Muses (the demigoddesses of the arts) were known to meet for their song and dance. It is probable that the very name mosaic comes from the Roman name for this type of work "Opus Musivum" which was itself inspired by the Muses.

Some good examples of wall mosaic can be found at Hadrian's villa and at Ostia, near Rome. Large wall surfaces covered in mosaic came to be used more extensively in Christian churches at the very end of the Empire, when art and decoration had a more direct Bizantine influence (Bizantium being Constantinople - the New Rome built by Emperor Constantine). A number of these may still be seen in Rome today in churches such as Santi Cosma e Damiano and others.

Read on about the origins of ancient Roman mosaics.

Please email us if you feel a correction is required to the Rome information provided. Please read the disclaimer

This page about Rome history was written by Giovanni Milani-Santarpia for www.mariamilani.com - Rome apartments