⬛️メメント・モリ⬛️
MWW Artwork of the Day (8/8/18)
Early Imperial Period (Roman, 27 BCE-117 CE)
Memento Mori: The Wheel of Fortune (c. 70-79 CE)
Mosaic from Pompeii, 47 x 41 cm.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples
A philosophic mosaic: As the Wheel of Fortune turns it brings riches (left) or misery (right), but in the end the same fate awaits all and everthing balances out.
The Romans introduced exquisite mosaics in their domestic architecture and in the places of worship. They were often very complicated and detailed, often depicting still lives and occasionally historical or mythological scenes set is a wider geometric pattern. The earliest examples of Roman floor mosaics are dated to the late Republican period (2nd century BCE) and are housed in Delos.
For more Roman art, see this MWW Special Collection:
* MWW Ancient/Medieval Art
