Baltimore Museum of Art: The Antioch Mosaics

One of those seminal components of the collection of art at the Baltimore Museum of Art are the Antioch Mosaics. These are sections and fragments of the vast collection of floor mosaics excavated in the ancient city of Antioch in present day Turkey. The expedition to uncover and preserve these amazing works of art was undertaken between 1932 and 1939. The funding came from a joint effort of 5 museums and universities in the United States. Over 300 mosaics were unearthed, with half of them remaining in Turkey and the rest divided between the 5 U.S. institutions.

The next time to travel to Turkey you can see the majority of these at the Hatay Archaeological Museum in Antakya. The see the rest, you would need to plan a road trip. The itinerary would include: Harvard University, The Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Worcester Museum of Art (Massachusetts), Princeton University and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Many years ago, I had friend who was the curator of the collection at the Worcester Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts. During a visit, she invited me into the bowels of the museum and shared with me the current mosaic that she was working on. With very clean hands, she even allowed me to run my fingers over its rough surface. To touch the surface that once adorned the floor of a room in a wealthy Roman's home. Where plebe and slave walked, and spilled food and fell upon. Where children played games and babies drooled. Floors get a lot of action.

Anyways, no visit to the BMA is complete without time spent marveling at these masterpieces of the Classic world.