Oral presentation part one

Pompeii and Herculaneum

The Alexander Mosaic

The Alexander Mosaic

Location: In the house of the Faun, Pompeii.

Date: originally laid in the 2nd century BC.

About: A mosaic is made with complex and multi-coloured tesserae (polychrome: stone, marble and glass). The mosaics of Pompeii gave us insights into daily life, social structure, trade links, religious, historical life and what they tell us about their time.

Who painted the original?

Certain elements lead us to believe it was copied from an earlier Greek painting which in now lost.

Size: Unlike most mosaics this example took up the entire floor of the exedra(this was a lounge often used as a summer dining room). The size of this mosaic indicates that it was probably laid in situ.

The Scene: this is the pivotal moment in the battle of issues between the Macedonians and Persians in 333 BC. Alexander the great led a charge of his companion cavalry across the river, through the ranks of Persians, and having succeeded in breaking through the Persian line he charged directly at the Persian king.

3.13m

5.8m

Features of painting

The artist has gone into great

detail, even including the

head of medusa on alexanders

breastplate. The eyes of the

medusa stare in the same

direction as alexander

Darius has his eyes wide open showing terror at the approaching Macedonians and horror at the Persian cavalryman being speared by alexander

Alexanders features are very familiar. They are similar to other paintings derived from late 4th century BC Greek portraits.

The horse that has collapsed beneath the Persian just speared by alexander shows very good use of opus vermiculatum.

Opus vermiculatum is used for the blood coming from the horse

Technique

How does this contribute to our understanding of the topic?

The name opus vermiculatum literally means "worm-like work", and has been described as the being one of the most demanding and elaborate forms of Roman mosaics. Unlike most mosaics this example took up the entire floor of the exedra. This information about the skill and workmanship helps us understand the wealth of the society in Pompeii, their level of technology and their decorative styles. Furthermore the mosaic shows us an insight to historical life because as depicts a significant historical event in their time. In general they were prefabricated Emblemata which sat in the middle of the room surrounded by a different flooring material. This artwork is unusually detailed work for a private residence which leads us to believe that it was commissioned by a wealthy person or family.