Symbols of Bacchus as God of Wine and the Theater

Roman 3rd Century (Tunisia)

National Gallery of Art

Created with tiny pieces of colored marble, stone, and glass, this rectangular mosaic shows four columns separated by stylized peacock feathers. Each vertical zone is divided again by two curving, garland-like swags into three sections, which are filled with birds, people, masks, or other objects, and is framed with a twisted, rope-like pattern around the edge. The entire mosaic is created with matte tones of light beige, chocolate brown, pale yellow, olive green, black, and white. In each column, a bird on a branch occupies the top section. Below, and separated by the garlands, the center sections each have a single object, with masks in the form of bearded men’s faces hanging from ribbons in the columns to our left and right. A nearly nude woman covered loosely with drapery holds a long spear and what might be a tray of leafy food in the second column from the left, and a nude man holding a curving staff and perhaps another tray or foodstuffs strides to our right in the second column from the right. Drapery flutters around each person’s shoulders. In the bottom row, there is an object like a stylized eye to our left; an L-shaped object, perhaps a stylized, broken column, in the space next to it; a mask with long hair and downturned lips in the next space; and, finally, an urn holding fruit. All four objects in the bottom row are suspended with thin cords. The background throughout is oyster white. The border is made up of butter-yellow, brick-red, and olive-green S-shapes with black and white bands, entwined to make a twisted pattern.