Floor Mosaic Panel: Grape Harvester with Peacock

Description

This group of mosaics may be from a church at Maaut El Naaman in northern Syria. The panel depicting Adam and Eve includes a Greek inscription that translates as: "And they ate, [and they] were made naked," from the book of Genesis (3:7–8). It is possible that the mosaic belonged to a pavement illustrating the Garden of Eden. The Grape Harvester with a Peacock also conveys well-known Christian themes. The grapes represent the Eucharistic wine and thus the blood of Christ, while the peacock was a symbol of immortality.

Provenance

(J. J. Klejman, New York).

Floor Mosaic Panel: Grape Harvester with Peacock

[]

400s

Accession Number

1969.112

Medium

marble tesserae

Dimensions

Overall: 133.5 x 144.8 cm (52 9/16 x 57 in.)

Classification

Mosaic

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund