Roman mosaic from the 4th-5th centuries.

Roman mosaic from the 4th-5th centuries. Coloured marble tesserae. Provenance: Aboutaam before 1960. Intact. Size: 187 x 195 cm. Important Roman mosaic dating from the 4th-5th centuries, made up of marble tesserae in different colours, representing a plant motif framed by a geometric border. The elongated rhombuses arranged in the corners give the piece a dynamic appearance, close to the illusion of an optical game, which is common in Roman mosaics. The silver and amber colours are delicately combined to give a certain sense of volume to the bodies. The art of mosaic came to Rome from Greece and soon became an industry in its own right, reaching previously unseen levels of quality. It became so widespread that it became the main decoration of any Roman villa or house. In Rome, mosaics were made from small pieces called tesserae (hence the name 'opus tessellatum'), cube-shaped pieces of calcareous rock, glass or ceramic of different sizes. These tesserae were arranged on the surface to be decorated like a jigsaw puzzle, distributing the colour and shape according to the design, and fixed with cement. The importance of mosaic manufacture is demonstrated by events such as the facilities granted by Constantine to the mosaicists in 330 when he moved the capital from Byzantium, encouraging the exodus of Greek and Roman masters to the new capital, thus laying the foundations for the famous Byzantine mosaic.