Art in an Early Global World at WAM: A WAM/College of the Holy Cross CollaborationMain MenuAmanda Luyster17d39c1ecea88fb7ff282fe74a410b89478b8327Created by the Worcester Art Museum and the College of the Holy Cross, with the Worcester Public Schools AP Art History class of 2024. Financial support provided by the Medieval Academy of America and "Scholarship in Action" at Holy Cross.
Floor Mosaic Border with Peacocks
12024-03-28T13:30:39-07:00Richard Lent3e723f35a685aebf07b8b602f188f085f3fa0c8f448012Mosaic of a Vine Scroll Border with Peacocks. 526–540 CE. Computer reconstruction of the floor mosaic featuring interior floral design. Excavation of Antioch and Vicinity funded by the bequests of the Reverend Dr. Austin S. Garver and Sarah C. Garver. 1936.23.plain2024-04-03T23:25:07-07:0020150114132532-0500Junyi Wu1f065b2604da17bbf62422c4f79ff9b74130ab76
This necklace, as one small piece of jewelry from the long-ago Byzantine Empire, might be easy to miss in its display case. But the precious stones tell stories about the medieval globe, since the gold, emeralds, sapphire, pearls, and other stones were brought together from different regions. The materials and style of the necklace testify to the global travel and communication of the period. The materials and color connect this piece to the Floor Mosaic Border with Peacocks, which is also constructed from beautiful small colored stones. But most importantly, crafted in the time and place of a wide variety of conflicts, the necklace tells a story of the resilience of people in search of beauty.
