Mosaic of Zeus and Ganymede
Ganymede offering a drink to Zeus, who is in the guise of an eagle, is one of the most popular mythological scenes in classical art, especially in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Here it is rendered in a polychrome floor panel of stone and glass tesserae created by a mosaicist called Neikias, who signed his work in Greek at bottom. Equally impressive is the ornate floral scroll surrounding the panel, highlighted against a black background. The clever use of shading imparts a sense of realism to the tendrils and flowers, further enlivened by assorted insects, reptiles, and birds that inhabit the scroll. The painterly quality of the imagery attests to Neikias' skill as a master craftsman. Mosaic floors of this quality would have been laid only in the luxurious houses of the very rich. Given the Greek inscription and comparable examples found at Antioch in Syria, this mosaic is probably from the eastern half of the Roman Empire.
Listed as Roman, mid-Imperial, 2nd century CE
Anonymous loan (Belgian collection) to the Met Museum, with no provenance (L.2013.29)
Mosaic of Zeus and Ganymede
Ganymede offering a drink to Zeus, who is in the guise of an eagle, is one of the most popular mythological scenes in classical art, especially in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Here it is rendered in a polychrome floor panel of stone and glass tesserae created by a mosaicist called Neikias, who signed his work in Greek at bottom. Equally impressive is the ornate floral scroll surrounding the panel, highlighted against a black background. The clever use of shading imparts a sense of realism to the tendrils and flowers, further enlivened by assorted insects, reptiles, and birds that inhabit the scroll. The painterly quality of the imagery attests to Neikias' skill as a master craftsman. Mosaic floors of this quality would have been laid only in the luxurious houses of the very rich. Given the Greek inscription and comparable examples found at Antioch in Syria, this mosaic is probably from the eastern half of the Roman Empire.
Listed as Roman, mid-Imperial, 2nd century CE
Anonymous loan (Belgian collection) to the Met Museum, with no provenance (L.2013.29)