Mosaics of Saint Romain en Gal - In the Museum

In the city of Vienne, France there is a wonderful archaeological museum called Musee de Saint-Romain-en Gal. It is located on one side of the Rhone River across from Vienne and contains the most wonderful mosaics, as well as on-going archaeological site outside this museum. The mosaics featured inside the museum only represent a small fraction of what was discovered along the riverbanks. This site is one of the largest Roman sites in France.

The excavation site has revealed a large community dating back to the 1st century BC to the 3rd AD lived, worked and flourished in this area. Homes, markets, mills, warehouses, and a wrestler's bath have been discovered.

The excavation site has revealed a large community dating back to the 1st century BC to the 3rd AD lived, worked and flourished in this area. Homes, markets, mills, warehouses, and a wrestler's bath have been discovered.

The excavation site has revealed a large community dating back to the 1st century BC to the 3rd AD lived, worked and flourished in this area. Homes, markets, mills, warehouses, and a wrestler's bath have been discovered.

The mosaic team consisted of a Master and his craftsmen or apprentices. The master made the complex figures while the craftsmen created the more simple designs such as the geometric shapes. They usually worked on-site and cut their own tessera with only the use of hand tools.

This technique for creating these mosaics was very complex. A 'cartoon' was created which was their pattern or design. Then they started with a stable base and placed the tesserae, which they shaped according to how the design demanded.

Detail of some of the floor mosaics show different colored marble was used extensively throughout floor tiling. Mosaic artists had different styles and tile setting was a highly regarded form of art. To create black and white, chalky stones would be used and for color, usually marble and colored glass were used.

This is a wonderful example of the different types of designs used and appreciated in this time. Florals were very popular, as well as the geometric shapes depicted here.

Many mosaics featured birds, fish, shells, and all types of animals that existed in their world. Living along the river provided many different species for replication in their mosaics. Depending on their skill level, craftsmen would be responsible for certain areas of the mosaic.

This image gives you a good idea as to the size of some of the mosaics here in the museum. These were created for larger homes and influential businesses that existed. Along with mosaics, many frescoes were recovered during excavation. Painters would paint directly to plaster and create beautifully colored scenes for their patrons.

This is a great example of the geometric intricate designs created in this Roman era. Notice the floral motifs bordering this mosaic. Many different designs have been integrated together, yet it creates a very harmonious piece.

This is The Punishment of Lycurgus, a very famous mosaic that was accidentally discovered in 1900 by a man setting a post in his barn. This mosaic was originally in a large reception room 7m x 5.2m and consists of 41 panels. It took the restoration team 15 months to move and restore it for the museum.

The story goes: Lycurgus, King of Thrace, had signed an agreement authorizing the god Pan, the Bacchantes and Satyrs to pass through his kingdom. But the king broke his treaty and when he did so, one of the Bacchantes turned into a vine and wrapped himself around the king, suffocating him.

This is a representation of what this area was used for – a living room where people would sit and enjoy food and drink. From the size of this mosaic floor, you can get an idea of how large some of their homes would have been during this time; as well as how extensive and complex the mosaics were.

This design is of different colored marble and beautifully represents the skill and expertise these artisans had. The precision of the cuts, all done by hand; the exact fit of each of the pieces; it all comes together for an awe-inspiring experience.