Object Type
Church Objects, Paintings and Drawings
Material
Mosaic or Tile
Country of Origin
Greece
Credit
The Government of the Hellenic Republic
Caption
Import Restricted since 2011.
Section II.J of Designated List in force since 2011.
The ecclesiastical ethnological materials represent the Early Christian and Byzantine periods and include objects made from 324 A.D. through the 15th century A.D.
Wall mosaics generally portray religious images and scenes of Biblical events. Surrounding panels may contain animal, floral, or geometric designs. They are made from stone and glass cut into small bits (tesserae) and laid into a plaster matrix.
Example shown:
Mosaic on a Dome depicting part of the Ascension
Material: Polychrome Glass Tesserae on mortar; Period: A.D. 876-886; Provenance: Church of Agia Sophia, Thessaloniki; Place of Production: Thessaloniki, Macedonia
In Situ