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ATI D aA oS E SY LOR Ae Ee — sree ek Vest)
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(Rake BES

Robert Field
this book and by the
Many people will be surprised and delighted with the designs in
them. In recent times there
practical hands-on approach to understanding and appreciating
from civilisations past
has been an upsurge in interest in pattern and decoration. Designs
new appreciation. This
and present from all parts of the world have been looked at with
the Roman mosaic
book is a timely reminder of the inventiveness and imagination of
ingenious ways.
makers as they used different design elements in such a variety of
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ia

Robert F ield

Lins
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Hy

Vedaee
eg
fe rs
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rs
BO

Tarquin Publications
To Joan Ostrolenk who has borne with fortitude the results of my enthusiasm for Roman
mosaics.

IS
=a
——_=

=
. —

The start of it all. A design from the courtyard of the museum of Cordoba.

All the photographs and illustrations are by the author with the exception of the
photographs on pages 26 and 42 and the drawings on pages 39 and 48 which are reprinted
by courtesy of the Sussex Archaeological Society.

ee
eee

© 1999: Robert Field Tarquin Publications


© 1988: First Edition Stradbroke
IeSeBuNe: 0 906212 63 4 Diss
Design: Paul Chilvers Norfolk IP21 5JP
Printing: Fuller-Davies, Ipswich England
All rights reserved
0
Why draw them?

I first became interested in drawing Roman mosaic patterns while on holiday in Southern
Spain. I had been to Italica and had photographed many of the mosaics there, realising
just what a wealth of interest and different designs there were. From there I went on to
Cordoba, where there was a wonderful floor in an open courtyard in the museum.
Unfortunately photography was not allowed, and indeed my camera had been taken from
me at the entrance. As seems so often to be the case, no postcard or reproduction of that
particular design, a feast of running peltae in black, white, red and yellow, was available. I
knew that it would be impossible to remember the design and so I analysed it and drew it
in my note book, in order to be able to reproduce it on my return home.

Since that holiday I have seen many other mosaics, both at home and abroad and this book
is the result of my growing interest in the subject. Most people are attracted first by the
figurative panels in mosaics, but my eye has always been taken by the geometric elements
of the overall designs. As a result of my experience at Cordoba, together with visits to a
number of important sites in Italy, I began to collect and study these geometric patterns
and began to realise the intelligence and sophistication of those early artists. Gradually the
realisation dawned on me that the geometric patterns were a fascinating study in their own
right, not only to see what the Roman artists had achieved, but also as a rich source of
design material for the future.

These geometric patterns radiate symmetry and order. Drawing the patterns is not just a
question of mechanically copying the work of someone else square by square, but of
understanding the underlying structure. The patterns are built up from simple elements
which seem to ‘grow’ and develop in an almost organic or living way.

This book is arranged as a series of drawing exercises. There is no better way of


appreciating the skill and imagination of those artists than by drawing their designs
yourself. To ‘feel’ how a cross ‘grows’ into a swastika pattern which then ‘grows’ into a
complex interlocking design is something which can only be experienced at first hand.

I commend you to try!

Robert Field
It is easy to get started on drawing Roman patterns, because they are largely based on a
square grid. It is possible to buy sheets of squared paper in a wide variety of sizes or to
draw your own. For each design I have suggested the size of grid required and later in the
book, when the designs become more complicated, I have indicated several stages in the
work. This helps to bring out the underlying structure.

The finest collection of geometric mosaics in England are at Fishbourne Roman Palace,
just outside Chichester and many of the designs are to be found there. At the back of the
book is a list of other sites in England where good mosaic patterns may be seen and it is
hoped that you will be able to visit some of these.

Let us start with one of the most famous of the mosaics at Fishbourne, the one called ‘The
Boy on a Dolphin’. However, let us look not at the boy himself, but at the edging. This is
perhaps the simplest geometric design of all. A simple chequer board design where the
black and white squares alternate.
Usually the chequer board design
is not coloured in such a simple
fashion and on this page there
are two other versions. To draw
them you need a grid of 11 x 14
squares for the upper pattern and
10 x 12 squares for the lower.

Both these designs come from a


place called Lucus Feroniae,
which is just outside Rome.
The upper pattern is from a
large villa and the lower one
from the baths of a house near
the Forum.
This is another variation on the chequer board idea from Fishbourne, Room N.4.

This sketch shows how to construct it on a 25 x 25 square grid.

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Y

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OU
(Ma, @le “Ga
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This is another variation on the chequer board theme, which is now in the Dorchester
Museum. It is in four colours — red, grey, black, and white.
The border of the Orpheus Mosaic at Littlecote in Berkshire is a three colour version of
the chequer board design. The colours are black, white and red.

D
a Z Wa
Y,i,t i iefT
U/,
Ya
pa Ml Ul
Up ZZ U
Awe 2 ie
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Vf,|
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yp a
DL, WA U, th th th the a uu i@
EEE WUUYLA
Bea bls eet
lay | ee ol, |_| |_| ott
Sometimes different chequer board designs are themselves arranged in a chequer board
pattern. Here a design developed from a 5 x 5 square grid is coloured in two alternate
ways which are themselves alternated. It is found in the Roman Palace of Fishbourne as a
floor of a corridor in the North Wing and as a panel of black and white mosaic in Room
W.6 in the West Wing (now covered over).

Bas
(A) White diagonal
squares on black.
(B) Black diagonal
squares on white.

To construct the pattern above you will need a grid of 25 x 10 squares. Variations (A) and
(B) alternate.
The design above uses the same idea of diagonal squares as the mosaic on the previous
page, but alternated with a larger square pattern.It comes from the House of the Mosaic
Fountain in Pompeii where it is part of the floor of the atrium surrounding the
impluvium.
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To draw it
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This floor from Silchester, which is now in Reading Museum, is a particularly interesting
one. It is an ‘all-over meander’ pattern with a number of 5 x 5 and 4 x 4 designs within it.
It was originally the floor of a house.

Three different 5 x 5 designs are included.

(7) (8) (9)

The numbers show how many black squares out of the 25 there are in each of the three
designs.
Here are a further seven different 4 x 4 designs. They are not included in thatfloor,
but

a
"5
[aie] _
igay 4VU
WN
m4
AAAbadad
\
a
SNS

7:
NAY @|K
To draw the whole mosaic is rather too complicated, but it is interesting to draw this
simplified version. You need a grid of 44 x 32 squares. Start by drawing the outline shown
on the page opposite.

Develop the design by adding longer arms to each cross at right angles to make a swastika
shape as in (B) below. Add longer arms again at right angles as in (C), until the pattern
takes the form shown below.

(A) (B) (C)

Since this is a ‘modified’ pattern you can now add any of the 4 x 4 designs on the
previous page to fill the squares.
| i
On the Silchester mosaic on page 12 there is also a single 3 x 3 design.

Without the diamond in the middle, it is frequently used, often being


repeated hundreds of times. The design below is of the floor of one of
the cubiculae (bedrooms) of the Hospitalium (Guest Room) of
Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli outside Rome.

| iH 1H LH rE c
2
ee 8oar] 8[ees fie
a PE ge a
walle oer |
= Cj grapes

This same simple 3 x 3 design is also used as an edging in some of the


Fishbourne mosaics and as a design for the complete floor of one room
(N.19)
To draw the design of the floor of Room N.19 at Fishbourne you will need a grid of 11 x
11 squares. Follow the stages shown below.

2
(1) a (6)

(3)

(4)

(5)

Here are two more 3 x 3 designs, this time coloured in two opposite ways.

oS
They are used alternately on this mosaic from the Church of Saint Sebastian in Rome. To
draw it, use a 12 x 12 square.
There is a meander mosaic similar to the one on pages 14 & 15 in Herculaneum. It is on
the floor of the Forum Baths. It has a smaller square within the larger ones with a design
in each of them. Most of these represent objects and are not geometric like the one from
Silchester.

a el
iaittan sees:

The Corridor mosaic at Bignor Roman Villa in Sussex also uses this type of meander
design.
To draw the central portion of the Bignor corridor mosaic you will need a grid which is
45 squares in width. The pattern repeats itself every 24 squares so you can make it as long
as you want. The squares and the pattern inside them are red.

|
ASS
(A) First draw up the lines, crosses and squares (red).

(B) Fill in the pattern inside the squares and make the crosses into swastikas. Join
the outside lines and extend them.

(C) Extend the lines and join them. You can now repeat the pattern as many times as
you want to. If you want to add the guilloche border, see page 63 and add a
further 12 squares on each side.
The meander pattern is often used as a border. In its simplest form is usually called a
‘fret’ or ‘Greek key’ pattern.

Here are two such patterns. To draw them you will need grids of squares in the form of
strips.

(6)

These next two examples are ‘castellated patterns’, which are found at Bignor.

OM
¥ WS,94
PO
Se

On XN Qo EN
EEE

(10)
On the next three pages there are examples of meander border patterns. To draw this one
you will need a grid which is 13 squares wide. Follow the five stages indicated below.
This one also needs a strip which is 13 squares wide.
This is a more complicated pattern and needs a strip which is 17 squares wide.

EEE

(5) Sash seee lessees eeeses


To draw the border to the ‘Sea God’ mosaic you will need a 60 x 60 square grid.

pera Sraattensrrreasetonedt seeteteeee teste nteeee


asteeceeeeeee ene Sseecssegsetteemtstn

BOSSE redonassoased fendonsaeans


vanipvast@essszerest
(2)
This is the famous ‘Sea God’
mosaic from St Albans, which is
now in the Verulamium
Museum. It is called the Sea
God Mosaic after the figure in
the middle. It was found in
House 1V in the Romano-British
city. It has a meander pattern
around the squares and
rectangles enclosing the
decorative motifs.

(3)
At Fishbourne Roman Palace in Room W.3. (now covered over), there is a complicated
meander floor pattern. You can see in the photograph that some of the squares in the
design also contain a further meander pattern.

To draw it you will need a grid of 75 x 47 squares. Take great care to draw your squares
and crosses in the correct places. It is a most satisfying one to complete.

-;

Pept

in Ee
1

iy
a
=!
Sonn
|
a Cr
Most of the Fishbourne mosaics are black and white. The white part forming the main
section of the floor with the black lines outlining the design. In Room N.21 however, the
pattern is predominantly black with the outlines in white. The squares in the middle are
red and grey.

To draw it, follow the instructions below and on the next two pages. You will need a grid
which is 51 x 117 squares.

(A)
cosessncstecetteerestaseeesteste
eatnontasuestes assscstontozectesesettotenases
Saasontaocotmostostostecmo
Sed RUSEseeeeuie otSoSuazezuot stadaguzae ifaeetTa" UOGSaPEotEe oFSESTOTEEE EESEEOEOTEETTSSTSErets ceSHOHeORETST Fate
SHLEEdd tessgoctngsttocessseaporord a oassttoaQostste
oatstasosstfaq degccterartossetetctostifoassseatotacttts
Sed Sees steedcaseot EEOEatate eafet ot2502 S25 0UTata EEREDUDET GTEEGEEGFOEETGETER SOREGTSESEOSSER EEOSTEOSETOETITE
SEU butsdes odcect ot vevoneetefoitttesrazenza tetazede (octatags aQaea( {onwaved:ueuta ceeenanaed cofaeteeetat init
Sud SECEESSETEEfazsooanogpsttsidoesdHSCSMHHaTS4tiafvasHieustlgeazuess@| onizd Stttteceslgentieeseienait
sduadap dad dasass otaaevacasa snaasdaeeupfa(atEE faovesas fosecetafeenae
fa(ansar fantaones HH
terrorceseerere
tt fatseeetses
POA
Haiedacostosted picetosstse jpeseeroete fpeestosstsgy ironed ifucue/aubs SUECEAGREOE GrGECESEESECHSELCERERt cecetne
5g Engsetssasssssasosscosossemesevasmsasataeesevasuensecasaerae asnssasemesees#eefeesaescestZaccestseceteetstt
ig sresuaeeeesusesseeesnds0amessusemenestseusseususesstslsedsnseescaeemeeeedesetseessseeedssesesceseeececceea
sESHSEESEESEEISEEIZUSEESoswouevasssuiafafseeessvansetetasssscerserasasesce verteetactarssrellcesastssaressettes
tt Ht EEE CELELEE
(B )
Lay out the whole
floor.
(C Colour it as indicated.

T TINNNSN
NINN

Si RSETEREEREY
cs aen0RScen v

SESraae
SEDETZSESSDatSSSSc2E3
Many designs use diagonal lines to divide the squares.

bi@i4 bARA) DAN DVD)


If you put two lines of these together other interesting patterns begin to emerge.

, OX IO SOX OL OL | |
Vu

The pattern above is used at Fishbourne as a ‘doormat’ in the outside border of the “Boy
on a Dolphin’ mosaic.

The pattern below comes from a mosaic in the Forum of the Corporations in Ostia which
was the ancient port of Rome.
When both diagonals are drawn in a square, then this opens up many more design
possibiliti
ities. xX x Z

The first example below is from a house in the Forum of Lucus Feroniae

Dd dd pd dd pq dA
rd > > > 4 hb

rq ><
pq>_>
_
bd bd>
This border pattern of triangles is a common one. It is used at Fishbourne in Room W.6.

444444bddddddddddddddd
BRARRRRRRARR RA
RRR DD DD
It can be formed either from a single square or from a group of four squares.

It is often used in conjunction with meander patterns.

Many simple patterns described earlier in this book can be enlarged and decorated in this
way to create original designs of your own.
This mosaic which makes great use of the triangle pattern is now in the British Museum.
It comes from Saint-Romain-en-Gal in France. The centre panel shows Silvanus and his
dog and the roundels show Bacchus, Silenus, Pan and a satyr. To draw it you will need a
Dh X20 eid:
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Fs te SAA DI MSEAR SN EA AAAS AGAR AA AAR SAE IDEA A SAA 80h

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This mosaic from Pompeii, which is now in the Naples Museum also makes much use of
triangles. They are very cleverly obtained from a square. To draw it, you need a grid of 14
x 14 squares.
Once you have drawn the square as in (1), cut it out as in (2) and then colour as in (3).

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This first century pattern from Room N.3 at Fishbourne is a nice one to draw.
You need a grid of 18 x 30 squares. Follow the four stages indicated below.

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Also at Fishbourne in Room N.12 is one of the best preserved mosaic patterns. Below is a
drawing of the complete floor and there is a coloured picture of part of it on page 42.
Firstly draw the

| rHFEE a t rHii abranesezeafensecra/esnteianr


puasatas sosteSetcGes tect
f HEH
eaiu] Sepsret oissediiceeeaseal
HES eaeittanatttl Siufaiettii tease
Basutes bleeaetel coucesbasen sen) seetctitestevtipsizacitaat
SSEEeeHeodHteedtoctleHitati ifaftdfee
setttaeaet
outline design given below and then follow the numbered stages opposite.
> you need a grid of 68 x 83 squares.

| zie! reesenaicaaeet eo i FEEL | coor ry


SBE fa act ae rECH
ina RRRRa HEE SHARIR
ama HEY H H a EHEC H [| H [|
sane dais cafareseseseeeesteee
segiaa com = t mn Ell oH
svaucseea!
3 A
(0G
H | ie
stasasces
H
cise i ttt Sree

Srossiiiii
To draw the mosaic in Room N.12

+H
FECHA
:

ESE
Hie
Sauce
HH
SERIES pee
eeu
ete
PEELE
Eee
HH

iE
Ty
a5
ceed

ee
ie

[|
L ANI At |
iN | | vv
Li

BNNY (7)
Pie nt
Room N.12 at Fishbourne.

This mosaic from Room W.8. at Fishbourne is now covered over. To draw it you will
need a grid of 26 x 38 squares. Follow the numbered stages carefully as it is a complex
design.
ay
eae
So aaNaem
ast|

Z|
|
(B) Develop the detail in the order shown by the numbers | to 6

NZ7IN
WA) Oe
VN SN vy
LEINS
—Z HRN
pe baaldae| he eh ttt is fet
pe msl
a mOe
es Nineel
sh eRe feeee eRRE AN ne i
VENERBASQEN
eS
Vee Seo RNa <r

ON
SEIS a
ISG.
LAN WH
ONSbsNON
|

WONG
ONG
ty INES
Oy, YESN
W
Ce

Arairaiics
NING
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In Room 6 at Bignor Roman
Villa there is a geometric mosaic.
It is formed from two squares
surrounded by lozenge or
diamond shapes, which give the
impression of three-dimensional
cube shapes. Between the two
major designs based on the
squares there is a rectangle with
a vase in its centre. The designs
of the two squares can each be
drawn up on a grid of6 x 6
squares.
In 1979 the ‘Boy on a Dolphin’ mosaic at Fishbourne Roman Palace was lifted for
conservation work as it was begining to deteriorate. Underneath was found part of a black
and white mosaic. It has been lifted and relaid at Fishbourne. It consists of a panel of 16
squares, each with a different geometric design, surrounded by a ‘Fortress’ mosaic. This
consists of a representation of city walls with gates in the four sides and towers on the
corners. The arches around the gates contain some red and grey pieces.

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You will see that although all the squares are the same size, one has been divided into a 10
x 10 square grid, one into a 9 x 9 and the other two into 8 x 8. To draw this particular
mosaic you will need to start with a plain piece of paper and then divide the edges of the
squares into 8, 9 or 10 divisions as needed.
Since the contents of some of the squares are missing, you can invent some of your own
designs to fill the gaps.
There are many patterns which give an illusion of three dimensions. A favourite Roman
floor design is to make a cube-like shape from three diamonds which form a hexagon. This
floor which is cut from different coloured marbles is in the Temple of Apollo in Pompeii.

The floor below is from the Villa of the Volussi in Lucus Feroniae. It is a black and white
mosaic and gives a similar three-dimensional illusion.
To draw the three-dimensional cube design you will need a grid of 27 x 30 squares.

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Here are two further developments which give the illusion of three-dimensions. The first
is from Turkey and the second from Syria. Both have been drawn on an 18 x 18 square
8g

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This border pattern also gives the illusion of three dimensions. You will need a grid
which is 19 squares wide. Each repeat is 24 squares long.

Experiment with different colours to heighten the three-dimensional effect.


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ar
So far we have been looking at straight line shapes. We will now look at some designs that
use circles and curved lines. For this design of overlapping circles you will need some
isometric paper. It occurs with the white background in Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli and with
a black background in the Baths of Caracall ain Rome. Use isometric paper and compasses
and follow the sketch below.

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Here is another way of overlapping or inter-linking circles. It is used on a variety of


mosaics to be found in Britain. The one below is from the Orpheus Mosaic at Littlecote.
Here are three
more mosaics that
use this method of
over-lapping
circles.

This one is from


Rockbourne Villa in
Hampshire.

This floor is in
the Baths suite at
Chedworth Villa
in Gloucestershire.

This design is now in the


British Museum.
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This scale or spade shape has to
be drawn on a rectangular grid.
A simple way to draw such a
grid is to use lcm squared paper
and then to divide every other
row into half. Then draw the
curved lines freehand.

Both these designs come from


Ostia but are used very often by
the makers of mosaics
throughout the Roman Empire.
Even more popular as a design element than the spade shape is the pelta. It is the shape
derived from the shape of the shields said to have been used by the Amazons. It is also
sometimes described as an axe shape.

It is combined in many different


ways, some of which are shown
here. One of the most popular is
the combination of four to make
a ‘swastika pelta’.
SA aA aaa
< Dad ww
dD
La?
4A

A»Da

Net IX Dd a yS

\
ec.
Nee et J\ ll
These border patterns are probably the most common of all mosaic designs and
can be
seen on sites all over the Roman Empire. They have to be drawn freehand on a square
grid. Each design is a repetition of the shape shown above it. These three designs are
known as ‘guilloche’ border patterns.

This knot shape is also a


very common design. It
is known by various names
— guilloche knot, duplex
knot, Solomon’s
knot, endless knot, lovers’
knot and single knot.
Some of the major sites in England where mosaics can be seen

Bath, Avon : Roman Baths Museum


Bignor, Sussex : Courtyard Villa
Brading, Isle of Wight : Villa
Chedworth, Gloucestershire : Villa
Cirencester, Gloucestershire : Corintum Museum
Colchester, Essex : Castle Museum
Dorchester, Dorset: County Museum
Fishbourne, Sussex : Roman Palace
Hull, Humberside : Museum of Transport and Archeology
Leicester : Jewry Wall Museum
Littlecote, Berkshire : Villa
Lullingstone, Kent : Villa
London : Museum of London
London : British Museum
North Leigh, Oxfordshire : Villa
Reading, Berkshire : Museum and Art Gallery : Silchester Mosaics
St.Albans, Hertfordshire : Verulamium Museum
Stratfield Saye House, Berkshire : Silchester Mosaics
Taunton, Somerset : Castle Museum
Winchester, Hampshire : City Museum
York : Museum

Bibliography

Floor Mosaics in Roman


Britain Margaret Rule Macmillan 1984
Romano-British Mosaics Peter Johnson Shire Publications 1982
Roman Mosaics in Britain David Neal Alan Sutton 1981

ASPROM The Association for the study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics. The
Association publishes an illustrated bulletin called ‘Mosaic’ and organises
regular meetings and symposia. Details from Peter Johnson
(Hon.Secretary), Roman Reasearch Trust, Littlecote Roman Villa,
Hungerford, Berkshire. RG17 OSS.

LL ————————EE—
If you have enjoyed this book then there are other Tarquin books which may interest you, including
‘Geometric Patterns from Churches and Cathedrals’, ‘Geometric Patterns from Tiles and Brickwork’ and
‘Geometric Patterns from Islamic Art & Archtecture’, all by Robert Field.
Tarquin books are available from Bookshops, Toyshops, Art/Craft shops, Museums or in case of difficulty,
directly by post from the publishers. For an up-to-date catalogue, please write to: Tarquin Publications,
Stradbroke, Diss, Norfolk, IP21 5JP, England.
Alternatively, see us on the Internet at http://www.tarquin-books.demon.co.uk
~ Geometric —
Patterns
_ from Roman Mosaics _
— -and how todrawthem- —!
|Robert Field |

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Br |_| TARQUIN *
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