Mosaic with Putti and grapes; Roman Empire, 2nd-3rd century BC.

Mosaic with Putti and grapes; Roman Empire, 2nd-3rd century BC.
Opus Tesselatum.
It shows later slate in the rear area.
It shows marble border of the XIX century.
Measurements: 58,5 x 94 x 2,5 cm.
Ancient Roman mosaic shows two winged putti that stand out clearly on a black background. This shows the technical mastery of the artist, who demonstrates great finesse in the use of small tesserae. It is a meticulous work visible especially in the treatment of the hands and faces. The putti are placed on abundant vines because it was common for Roman artists to invoke plant motifs as a narrative framework. In this sense, the iconographic theme can be compared to the Dionysian cult. A widespread cult due to the Roman domination and the phenomenon of Hellenization associated with it.
The putto on the right picks the grapes in an uprising, and the gesture of the one on the left may suggest that he is about to pick the grapes. This refers to the grape harvest, a crucial moment in the agricultural cycle. The grape harvest is an iconographic motif used since Antiquity, symbolizing both prosperity and the festive dimension of wine production. Closely linked to the Dionysian cult, it is symbolically related to abundance and fertility.
The art of mosaic came to Rome from Greece, and soon became a whole industry, reaching heights of quality never seen before. It became so widespread that it became the main decoration of any Roman villa or house. In Rome, mosaics were built from small pieces called tesserae (hence the name "opus tessellatum"), cubic-shaped pieces of calcareous rocks, glass or ceramic, of different sizes. These tesserae were arranged on the surface to be decorated like a jigsaw puzzle, distributing the color and shape according to the design, and fixed with cement. The importance of mosaic manufacture is demonstrated by facts such as the facilities granted by Constantine to the mosaicists in 330 when he moved the capital from Byzantium, favoring the exodus of Greek and Roman masters to the new capital, thus laying the foundations of the famous Byzantine mosaic.