Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-04T19:38:42.606Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Brading, Brantingham and York: a New Look at Some Fourth-Century Mosaics*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2011

Roger Ling
Roger Ling
Affiliation:
History of Art Department, University of Manchester
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

In an article published in Britannia in 1980, Reinhard Stupperich argued for the dominance of classical iconography in the mosaic pavements of fourth-century Britain and showed how a number of pavements had previously been misinterpreted. Among the scenes which he examined, at least three which had appeared anomalous to earlier interpreters were shown to fit more or less within standard iconographic formulae: a scene from East Coker showing Dionysus and Ariadne, and panels from Keynsham representing Athena playing the flutes and Achilles discovered on Skyros. The difficulties which they had caused were due to lack of skill or understanding on the part of the craftsman who produced them, to the imperfect state of their preservation, or (where destroyed) to the unreliability of the modern draftsman to whose record we owe our knowledge of them.

Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 22 , November 1991 , pp. 147 - 157
Copyright
Copyright © Roger Ling 1991. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Stupperich, R., ‘A reconsideration of some fourth-century British mosaics’, Britannia xi (1980), 289–301CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

2 Henig 1984, 220 f.; Black, E.W. in Henig, M. and King, A. (eds), Pagan Gods and Shrines of the Roman Empire Oxford Univ. Comm. Arch. Monograph 8 (1986), 150 fGoogle Scholar.

3 D.J. Smith, ‘Orpheus mosaics in Britain’, in R. Ginouvès (ed.), Recueil d'hommages à Henri Stern (1982), 315-28.

4 As suggested by Black, loc. cit. (note 2). On these books see M.L. West, The Orphic Poems (1983).

5 See e.g. Enciclopedia dell'arte antica, classica e orientale v (1963). 746 fGoogle Scholar.

6 See esp. Smith 1977, 108 no. 4, 118 no. 41, 129 no. 83, 136 no. 108, 138 f. nos 115-119, 148 no. 133; Stupperich, op. cit. (note 1), 297 (with earlier bibl.).

7 Smith 1977. 136 f., nos 108-13. On the Durnovarian School see most recently D.J. Smith in R. Farioli Campanati (ed.), III Colloquio Internazionale sul Mosaico Antico, Ravenna 6-10 settembre 1980 (1984). 369-72.

8 Smith 1977, 139 no. 118.

9 T. Kraus and I. von Matt, Lebendiges Pompeji (1973), 184. fig. 251. For the identification of the Brading couple see R. Ling, ‘Further thoughts on fourth-century mosaics’. Britannia xii (1981), 292-3Google Scholar; cf. Mosaic 5 (November 1981), 6, pl. 11Google Scholar.

10 V.M. Strocka, Casa del Principe de Napoli (VI 15. 7.8) Häuser in Pompeji i (1984), 44; add a stucco relief in the Stabian Baths at Pompeii: H. Eschebach. Die Stabianer Thermen in Pompeji (1979), 75.

11 Ling, R., ‘The Seasons in Romano-British mosaic pavements’. Britannia xiv (1983), 13–22CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

12 Henig 1986, 164.

13 Smith 1977, 108 no. 4; cf. Parlasca. 29, pls A (1). 28 (2).

14 K. Gaiser, Das Philosophenmosaik in Neapel Abhandlungen der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-historische Klasse 1980. 2 (1980) (mentions the Brading figure on p. 37; cf. 48 note 74).

15 ibid., 24-31; cf. Ling, R., Classical Review xxxi (1981), 322CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

16 Parlasca, 42, pl. 44 (1). The type of the figure pointing to a globe occurs also on a silver vase from Berthouville, again combined with the Muse Urania: Picard, C., ‘Un cénacle littéraire hellénistique sur deux vases d'argent du trésor de Berthouville-Bernay’, Fondation Eugène Piot. Monuments et mémoires xliv (1950), 53–82 (esp. 55-60); Gaiser, op. cit. (note 14). 101 f. note 203CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

17 Abraxas: Price and Price, 8; cf. Haverfield, F., VCH Hampshire and the Isle of Wight i (1900), 314; Toynbee 1962. 202 no. 197; Toynbee 1964, 255; Rainey. 27; Smith 1977, 106 no. 1. Called Iao by Henig 1984, 220; cf. Henig 1986. 165Google Scholar.

18 LIMC i, I (1981), 2–7. s.v. ‘Abraxas’Google Scholar.

19 H. Mielsch, ‘Hellenistische Tieranekdoten in der römischen Kunst’, Archäologischer Anzeiger (1986), 745-63.

20 Augustine, . De civitate dei XVI. 8Google Scholar.

21 Generally on the role of imaginary and anecdotal scenes in the Great Hunt mosaic, Mielsch, H., ‘Realität und Imagination im “Grossen Jagdmosaik” von Piazza Armerina’, in Cain, H.-U., Gabelmann, H. and Salzmann, D. (eds). Festschrift für Nikolaus Himmelmann (1989), 459–66Google Scholar.

22 Smith 1980, 135, pl. XIIIb; Smith 1987. 11.

23 Dunbabin pl. XIII. 26 (Carthage, Dermech); Carandini et al., figs 114, 129 (Piazza Armerina); cf. Mielsch, op. cit. (note 21), 459-61, 463-5.

24 Carandini et al., fig. 127.

25 Dunbabin, pl. XIII, 26 (Carthage, Dermech); Carandini et al., figs 115, 123 (Piazza Armerina).

26 Rainey, 27.

27 G. Gullini, I mosaici de Palestrina (1956). pl. XIX.

28 VCH Somerset i (1906). 330, fig. 87Google Scholar; Radford, C.A. Ralegh and Dewar, H.S.L.. The Roman Mosaics from Low Ham and East Coker Somerset County Museum Publications 2 (1954). 5 f.: Rainey, 68Google Scholar.

29 Carandini et al., figs 91. 98 (Piazza Armerina, Small Hunt); Dunbabin. pls XI, 21; XIII, 27 (Carthage).

30 Parlasca. 35-8, pls 36-9; cf. 88 f., pls 88-91 (Bad Kreuznach).

31 Bignor: Toynbee 1962. 200 no. 191, pls 225-6. Rudston: Smith 1980. 134-6, pls XIB, XII, XIIIA: Smith 1987. 9-13.

32 Ling, R. in Crummy, P., Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex Colchester Archaeological Reports iii (1984). 153Google Scholar.

33 Rainey, 27.

34 As suggested by Toynbee 1964. 255; followed by Henig 1986. 165. Cf. Price and Price. 8.

35 Henig 1984. 220.

36 Generally on the Brading villa Price and Price; D.J. Tomalin. Roman Wight. A Guide Catalogue (1987). 19-28.

37 Fowler, W., Engravings of the Principal Mosaic Pavements iii (Second Appendix) (1824). no. 4; Toynbee 1964Google Scholar. 288 f. Generally on the interpretation of the pavement Neal, D.S.. Mosaic 9 (November 1983), 2–4Google Scholar; Ling, R., Mosaic 10 (April 1984), 17–19Google Scholar.

38 Hargrove, W., History and Description of the Ancient City of York (1818) ii, 175 fGoogle Scholar.

39 Toft Green: RCHM (England), An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York i. Eburacum: Roman York (1962), 57 f. no. 35, pl. 24. Frampton: Lysons, S.. Reliquiae Britannico-Romanae i (1813), pl. VII. Lambaesis: Dunbabin. pl. LXXII, 183Google Scholar.

40 Cunliffe, B.W.. Excavations at Fishbourne 1961-1969 Rep. Res. Comm. Soc. Antiq. London xxvi (1971) i, 163–5, pl. XLVIIGoogle Scholar.

41 Hanfmann, G.M.A.. The Season Sarcophagus in Dumbarton Oaks Dumbarton Oaks Studies ii (1951) i. 135 f.; D.A. Parrish. Season Mosaics in Roman North Africa (1984). 20-4Google Scholar; L. Abad Casal, LIMC v. 1 (1990), 533–5Google Scholar.

42 H. Mielsch. Römische Stuckreliefs (Röm. Mitt. Ergänzungsheft xxi) (1975). 148-50, K 58 111, K 59 III.

43 Toynbee 1964. 286; Smith, D.J., Britannia iv (1973), 90–9, pls VIB. IX-XIV; Smith 1987. 31-4.Google Scholar

44 G.M.A. Richter, The Sculpture and Sculptors of the Greeks (4th edn, 1970). 231 f., figs 811-13: C.M. Robertson. A History of Greek Art (1975), 470-2, pl. 150 a and b.

45 Toynbee 1962. 157 no. 80; 1964. 174 f.: Henig 1986. 161: idem.LIMC iii, 1 (1986), 156.

46 N. Leipen, Athena Parthenos: a Reconstruction (1971).

47 Haverfield, F.J., VCH Somerset i (1906). 317Google Scholar. fig. 77 (identified as Cybele): Toynbee 1964, 249 (identified as Ceres or Abundantia); Rainey, 127, pl. 15A; Smith 1977. 134 no. 102. pl. 6. XXXB. Haverfield comments that ‘the drawings and reproductions … do not wholly agree in their measurements’. Thus his illustration, based on a colour drawing in the possession of J. H. Shore of Whatley, shows the figure holding two twigs or ears of corn, while Rainey and Smith reproduce a coloured lithograph in which it holds a cornucopiae.

48 Bonner Jahrb. clxxxiii (1983). 908Google Scholar.

49 Schol. ad Lycophron, Alexandra 653; cf. Pausanias IX. 34. 3.

50 Parlasca. 32f., pls 31-3: cf. ibid., 28 note 2; Daszewski, W.A., Corpus of Mosaics from Egypt i. Hellenistic and Early Roman Period Aegyptiaca Treverensia 3 (1985), 132 fGoogle Scholar.

51 M. Wegner, Die Musensarkophage (Die antiken Sarkophagreliefs v. 3) (1966). passim.

52 Freijeiro, A. Blanco. Mosaicos romanos de Italica i (Corpus de mosaicos romanos de Espana ii) (1978). 55 f. no. 43. pls 61-7, 75Google Scholar.

53 Parlasca. 41-3. pls 42 (1), 43-7.

54 Schol. ad Lycophron, loc. cit. (note 49).

55 G. Calza, La necropoli del porto di Roma nell'Isola Sacra (1940), 171 f., fig. 85; L. Foucher, Découvertes archéologiques à Thysdrus en 1961 Institut d'Archéologie Tunis. Notes et documents n.s. v (1962), 8. pls VC, VIII (rejects Muses identification).

56 Barrett, A.A.. ‘A Vergilian scene from Frampton villa, Dorset’. Antiq. Journ. lvii (1977). 312–13CrossRefGoogle Scholar: ‘Knowledge of the literary classics in Roman Britain’. Britannia ix (1978), 307–13Google Scholar.

57 Rudston: Smith 1980. 134-6, frontispiece and pls XIb-XIII; Smith 1987. 9-13. Aldborough: H. Ecroyd Smith, Reliquiae Isurianae (1852), supplementary plate; Toynbee 1962. 198 no. 184, pl. 220; Smith 1977. 138. no. 114. pl. 6. IIa.

58 Mary, Hinton St: Toynbee, J.M.C., ‘A new Roman mosaic pavement found in Dorset’. JRS liv (1964), 7–14. Frampton: Lysons. op. cit. (note 39), pl. v; Toynbee 1962. 202 f. no. 199, pl. 234Google Scholar.

59 cf. Frend, W.H.C. in Pearce, S.M. (ed.). The Early Church in Western Britain and Ireland BAR British Ser. 102 (1982), 8Google Scholar.

60 As suggested by B. Walters. ‘The “Orpheus” mosaic in Littlecote Park England’, in Farioli Campanati. op. cit. (note 7). 433-42; contra. Ling, R. in Current Archaeology 82 (May 1982). 350Google Scholar.

61 Ling, op. cit. (note 11).