File:Handbook of archaeology, Egyptian - Greek - Etruscan - Roman (1867) (14781136082).jpg

Identifier: handbookofarchae00west (find matches)
Title: Handbook of archaeology, Egyptian - Greek - Etruscan - Roman
Year: 1867 (1860s)
Authors: Westropp, Hodder M. (Hodder Michael), -1884
Subjects: Art, Ancient Archaeology
Publisher: London, Bell and Daldy
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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the opinion of Sir Humphry Davy, that the ancient painters,like the best masters of the Koman and Venetian schools, weresparing in the use of the more florid colours, and produced theireffects, like them, by contrast and tone. Mosaic.—Mosaic, opus musivum, is a kind of painting made withminute pieces of coloured substances, generally either marble, ornatural stones, or else glass, more or less opaque, and of everyvariety of hue which the subject may require, set in very fine PAINTING. 227 cement, and which thus forms pictures of different kinds, rivallingin colour and hue those painted by the brush. Early nations knew the art of mosaic, and it is supposed to deriveits origin from Asia, where paintings of this kind were composed, inimitation of the beautiful carpets manufactured at all periods inthose countries. The Egyptians employed it very probably fordifferent purposes; no traces of it have, however, been found in thetemples or palaces, the ruins of which remain. There is in the
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mosaic pavement, tompeii. Egyptian collection at Turin a fragment of a mummy case, thepaintings of which are executed in Mosaic with wonderful precisionand truth. The material is enamel, the colours are of different hues,and their variety renders with perfect truth the plumage of birds.It is believed to be the only example of Egyptian mosaic. The Greeks carried the art of mosaic to the highest perfection.Skilfully managing the hues, and giving to the figures in their com-position an exquisite harmony, they resembled at a slight distancereal paintings. Different names were given to the mosaics, accord-ing as they were executed in pieces of marble of a certain size; it wasthen lithostroton, opus sectile; or in small cubes, in this case it wascalled opus tesselatum, or vermiculatum. The name of asaroton wasgiven to a mosaic destined to adorn the pavement of a dining hall.It was supposed to represent an unswept hall, on the pavement ofwhich the crumbs and remains of the repast which fell

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