The Discreet Talent of Ancient Mosaicists. A Case Study Relating to Swastika-Meanders

Year 2020, Issue: 13, 239 - 256, 02.11.2020

Bernard Parzysz

https://doi.org/10.26658/jmr.782383

Abstract

The talent of the ancient mosaicists who carried out pavements with geometrical patterns is often unsung, and to some extent underestimated, with regard to the skills of those who created scenes with figures, or even vegetal décors. The issue of this article, based on the example of a pavement with a relatively commonplace and widespread pattern (swastika-meander), is to make explicit how some of the pictores challenged themselves (here, by carrying out swastika-meanders on a grid of bands with swastikas at the crossings) and be able to succeed (here, imagining a repetitive modular pattern to be replicated throughout the pavement). This was indeed a kind of gratuitous tour de force which, although remaining unseen for centuries, shows that such mosaicists also deserve our esteem, provided that their work is given enough attention.

Keywords

Geometric pattern, grid of bands, swastika-meander, construction process, generator module

Le talent discret des mosaïstes antiques. Une étude de cas relative aux méandres de svastikas

Abstract

The talent of the ancient mosaicists who carried out pavements with geometrical patterns is often unsung, and to some extent underestimated, with regard to the skills of those who created scenes with figures, or even vegetal décors. The issue of this article, based on the example of a pavement with a relatively commonplace and widespread pattern (swastika-meander), is to make explicit how some of the pictores challenged themselves (here, by carrying out swastika-meanders on a grid of bands with swastikas at the crossings) and be able to succeed (here, imagining a repetitive modular pattern to be replicated throughout the pavement). This was indeed a kind of gratuitous tour de force which, although remaining unseen for centuries, shows that such mosaicists also deserve our esteem, provided that their work is given enough attention.

Keywords

Geometric pattern, grid of bands, swastika-meander, construction process, generator module

Antik Mozaikçilerin Göze Çarpmayan Yeteneği. Gamalı Haç Meanderlerine İlişkin Bir Durum Çalışması

Abstract

Geometrik desenlerle döşemeler yapan antik mozaikçilerin yeteneği genellikle takdir edilmez ve figürlerle sahneler yaratanların, hatta bitkisel dekorlar yapanların becerilerine göre, onların yetenekleri bir miktar hafife alınmıştır. Bu makalenin konusu, nispeten sıradan ve yaygın olarak kullanılan bir desene (gamalı haç-meander) dayanarak bazı pictores’lerin (burada, geçişlerde swastikaları olan bant kafesleri üzerinde svastika meanderleri yaparak) kendilerine nasıl meydan okuduğunu ve bunu nasıl başardığını (modüler bir deseni döşeme boyunca tekrarlayarak kopyalamayı düşünerek) açıklamaktır. Bu aslında, yüzyıllar boyunca görünmeden kalsa da, bu mozaikçilere, eserlerine yeterince dikkat göstererek saygımızı hak ettiklerini belirtmemizi sağlayan bir tür güç gösterisidir

Keywords

Geometrik desen, bant kafes, gamalı haç-meander, yapım süreci, üreteç modülü

References

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