307 - Mosaic eyes. Rome, 1st century B.C.–1st century A.D.

Mosaic eyes. Rome, 1st century B.C.–1st century A.D. Glass. Measurements: 3.5 cm (height). Provenance: Family bequest of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Archaeological collection assembled beginning in the 1950s by successive generations of the family through purchases at European galleries and auction houses. Previously part of the François Barille Collection, Quimper, Britain. Acquired ca. 1960. The art of mosaic making reached Rome from Greece and soon developed into a full-fledged industry, achieving levels of quality never before seen. It became so widespread that it became the primary form of decoration in any Roman villa or house. In Rome, mosaics were constructed from small pieces called tesserae (hence the name “opus tessellatum”), which were cubic pieces of limestone, glass, or ceramic of various sizes. These tesserae were arranged on the surface to be decorated like a jigsaw puzzle, with color and shape distributed according to the design, and were set in place with cement. They were used to decorate both floors and walls (wall mosaics), in which case the tesserae were typically smaller and featured a greater variety of colors, allowing for remarkable detail. In the finest examples, the high cost of the materials—often imported—and the labor required to produce them meant that they were common only in the residences of the upper class, both in urban areas and in rural villas. The importance of mosaic production is demonstrated by events such as the incentives Constantine granted to mosaic artists in 330 when he moved the capital to Byzantium, encouraging the exodus of Greek and Roman masters to the new capital, thus laying the foundations for the famous Byzantine mosaic, characterized, among other features, by the extensive use of gold tesserae.