Mosaic Depicting Autumn, Third century AD Mosaics adorned public spaces across the Roman Empire, but
Mosaic Depicting Autumn, Third century AD Mosaics adorned public spaces across the Roman Empire, but the majority are found in private villas. The extremely time-consuming and, therefore, expensive aspect of installing this art form meant that great attention was paid to creating attractive designs, appropriate both to the owner and to the setting. Along with mythological subjects and scenes from everyday life, the depiction of abstract elements important in Roman society was popular, for example, fertility, abundance, power, and security.The choice of the Four Seasons alludes to good fortune, plentiful harvests, and prosperity, and to the cyclical nature of time, and was particularly relevant in this agricultural society that depended on the cultivation of wheat, barley, wine and olive oil. The personification of the Four Seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter - belongs to a rich iconographical tradition, stemming from as early as the fourth century BC. By the Late Roman Period, they were most frequently imagined as isolated busts of young women, each distinguishable by different attributes, usually different elements of agricultural produce. The richly coloured, exuberant flora in this composition point to an association with Autumn. -- source link
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