Basic info

Collection

Archaeology

Title

Four Seasons Mosaic

Object name

Mosaic

Object category

Roman

Description

Mosaic decorated with the four seasons in the corners and Medusa in the centre. Eboracum describes the finding of the mosaic: "House with three mosaics, was found in 1853 under Toft Green, 160ft SW of Barker Lane, extending from the centre of the roadway to within 1ft of the building frontage on the SE side. The aligment was that of Road 10 and not of the nearby buildings on the old Railway Station site. The house had at least five rooms. A posthumous coin of Claudius II (AD 268-270) and traces of an earlier concrete floor were beneath the mosaic in Room ii [this mosaic]." It goes on to describe the mosaic itself: "Room ii contained the mosaic, 13 and 3/4 ft square, depicting the Four Seasons... The mosaic has a head of Medusa, now very badly damaged, in the middle between the headds and shoulders of four female figures representing the seasons against a simple geometric background. Spring is symbolised by a bird, Summer by a rake, Autumn by a bunch of grapes and Winter by a bare bough, the attributes being on or beside the shoulders." Witts, P. 2010. argues that there are sufficient Victorian sources to sugges that the position of Autumn and Summer have been altered during restoration and the inclusion of the grapes with summer is an entirely modern creation - an original account from 1853 reporting that fruit and flowers were originally present.

Production date start

71

Production date end

410

Period

Roman