This tag was created by Margaret McCracken.
Floor Mosaic & the Medieval Globe
- The mosaic has connections to a Pagan past and a Christian present. It shows that the medieval globe was religiously diverse. Later in the Medieval period Christ will be depicted explicitly, such as in The Last Judgement painting.
- Limestone and other valuable materials were extracted in Byzantium and traded to other places for various treasures. The medieval globe utilized natural resources and was connected in a way that allowed other areas to benefit from local resources.
- Roman traditions of mosaics carried over into the Byzantine Empire. The floor mosaic tells us that the empires and styles of the medieval globe where shifting. Compared to the later mosaic of Justinian's court we see the continuation of mosaics but as a wall decoration (different purpose) rather than a floor and different materials for different effects were used.
- The mosaic shows that the medieval globe shared motifs. For example, the Sarcophagus of Constantina shares the scrolling vines and strutting peacocks (bottom corners)
- The medieval world supported craftsmen and artists with public and private commissions, this mosaic is an example of a request from a private patron.
