The Mosaic of the Female Musicians from Mariamin, Syria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5617/acta.5756Abstract
A spectacular mosaic showing six female musicians and two boys on stage once decorated the floor of an apsidal room at Mariamin, near Hama in Syria. Although other late antique images of musicians exist, this one stands out for its exquisite quality and for its detailed rendering of instruments. It is argued here that the women must be professional itinerant musicians, a popular all-girl band. The small boys dressed as cupids stress the theatrical aspect; they also link the image with its frame: a scroll inhabited by putti and personifications of nature and growth. Set in a frame of renewal, this ‘genre image’ has several levels of meaning.
How to Cite
Kilierich, B. (2017) “The Mosaic of the Female Musicians from Mariamin, Syria”, Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia, 22(8 N.S.), pp. 87–107. doi: 10.5617/acta.5756.
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