Explore Mosaic Fragment with a Peacock Facing Left

Read About This Mosaic of a Peacock

The multi-colored peacock in this mosaic was created in Syria in the 400s or 500s CE. It is made of cut stone that the Romans called tesserae. Tesserae could also be made of other hard materials like ceramic and glass. Although the stones used by the artist in this mosaic are not brightly colored, they still show a great level of detail. Look at the image to find each of these details one by one:

• The tail is outlined in red, and the interior colors are mixed pink and beige.
• The rest of the peacock’s body is outlined in black.
• The “eye spots” in the tail are green, yellow, and white, with black outlines.

If you zoom in, you can see how the artist laid out the stones in and around the bird to emphasize the design.

In the original mosaic there were two peacocks facing one another on either side of a now-missing object. The mosaic was later cut into sections and although both peacocks are preserved, the object between them was lost. We know from iconography in early Christian art that the birds likely faced a tree or a wine jug or wine cup. Grapevines surrounded the peacocks, and in the lower left corner you can still see part of a large bunch of grapes. These designs suggest that the mosaic was probably in a church.

Christians adopted the familiar Roman images they saw all around them. They gave them new meaning in a process of combining two cultures called syncretism. Grapevines and wine vessels were associated with the Roman god Bacchus (Greek Dionysos), the god of wine, grapevines, and drinking. Wine was thought to be healthful and to bring joy, and the god’s grapevines renewed themselves every year, in a cycle of rebirth.

The peacock was an attribute (symbol) of the Roman goddess Juno (Greek Hera). According to myth, the eyes in the bird’s tail originally belonged to a giant named Argus with 100 eyes. Even when some of his eyes were asleep, others were always open. Therefore, he made an excellent guard for Juno's protection. When he was killed, she moved his eyes to the peacock’s tail. The always-open eyes made the peacock seem immortal. The bird shed its tail every year, but the tail grew back, a sign of rebirth. Over time, Christians also associated the peacock with purity.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• What are tesserae, and what materials could they be made from? Use details from the passage in your answer.
• The original mosaic showed two peacocks facing one another. What happened to the mosaic over time, and how do art historians make educated guesses about what was between the peacocks?
• The passage mentions that wine was associated with both the Roman god Bacchus and later with Christianity. Why do you think early Christians might have chosen to adopt and reuse familiar images rather than invent completely new ones?
• The mosaic may have been originally located in a church, whereas today it is located in a museum. In its original location it would have been whole, unlike the fragment that we have today. How do the differences in setting affect the experience and meaning of the image?

A special object or symbol that helps you recognize a person or god in art (like Zeus holding a lightning bolt).

Study of and use in art of repeated images with symbolic meaning.

A picture or pattern made by arranging tiny pieces of colored stone, glass, or tile. A mosaic can be made on a wall, piece of furniture, framed panel, ceiling, or floor.

Blending of elements of different cultures, often resulting in new imagery or new interpretations.

Pieces of stone or other hard materials cut into squares or cubes to make mosaic art.