Comedia Del Arte, Mosaic Table Mosaic By Jean Pierre Soalhat

Year:

Medium:

Mosaic

Size - (USA):

43 W x 69 H x 0 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

109.2 W x 175.3 H x 0.0 D (centimeters)

Theme:

Undecided

Edition:

Original

Artwork ID:

428258

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

An eighteenth century interweaving pattern from the ceiling of the Palais Garnier encircles the mask of comedy as well as a pomegranate. Both symbols refer to Classical culture and mythology. The pomegranate alludes to the myth of Persephone who is abducted by Hades, ruler of the underworld. While there, she eats the seeds of a pomegranate, unaware that in doing so she is compelled to spend part of each year in the underworld. Consequently, her heartbroken mother, Demeter, neglects her duties as the goddess of the earth; the climate grows cold and the land becomes barren. For the first time, the earth experiences winter. However, when Persephone returns to her mother, their shared joy renews the earth, which becomes warm and fertile once again. Thus, the myth is a symbol of renewal just as Soalhat�s mosaics are through the incorporation of abandoned and forgotten materials. For Comedia del Arte, the artist employed various marbles and terracotta that he collected. Of these materials, one is particularly unique. The long strips of ochre and sienna-colored marble at either end of the mosaic come from the Bibemus quarry near Aix-en-Provence. This marble is particularly prized for its pattern and color. However, due to the discovery of dinosaur eggs, it is now forbidden to quarry the marble, which, as a result, has become even more precious.

Artwork Keywords:   Original Mosaic

Materials:   Mosaics