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Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Stories in Stone: Conserving Mosaics of Roman Africa

Masterpieces From the National Museums of Tunisia

New Getty Villa exhibition tells story of one of world’s pre-eminent collections of Roman Mosaics

from : J. Paul Getty Museum - Los Angeles, CA, USA

The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa, October 26, 2006 - April 30, 2007

LOS ANGELES—Two thousand years ago, in the region of North Africa now known as Tunisia, African workshops were busy creating elaborate mosaic floors to embellish the homes and public buildings of the Roman Empire. Due to the popularity of North African mosaics during the Roman period, modern Tunisia now possesses one of the world’s richest collections of ancient Roman mosaic works. For the first time in the United States, an exhibition brings together the finest mosaic works from the national museums of Tunisia. Stories in Stone: Conserving Mosaics of Roman Africa; Masterpieces From the National Museums of Tunisia is on view from October 26, 2006 through April 30, 2007 at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa in Malibu. This exhibition is sponsored by Merrill Lynch.

Stories in Stone offers insight into these rich and varied ancient mosaic pavements by situating the works within a variety of key contexts. The exhibition is organized so as to display each mosaic work alongside an explanation of its meaning, its historical context and a visual representation of its original Roman site location, when known. At the same time, it tells the story of the conservation of ancient mosaics – the state-of-the art methodologies employed to restore mosaics in museums and to conserve them in their original settings.
This multi-dimensional approach to telling the stories of these ancient mosaics was made possible by the partnership behind the exhibition. Stories in Stone is a collaboration between the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), and the Institut National du Patrimoine (INP), Tunisia.
"Tunisia is happy to present to the American public a selection of some of her most beautiful ancient mosaics. I hope they provide a sense of the richness of our patrimony, as well as the historic role of our country as a meeting place of different cultures. The mounting moreof this exhibition is a tribute to the scientific and technical collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Preservation of Tunisia and the Getty Conservation Institute. It reinforces the notable position of the Tunisian Institut National du Patrimoine in the domain of protecting and conserving our cultural patrimony,” said Mohamed El Aziz Ben Achour, minister of culture and heritage preservation for Tunisia. “I would like to thank the J. Paul Getty Museum for their hospitality and generosity in undertaking this exhibition, which is indicative of the strong ties of friendship between Tunisia and the United States."
"This exhibition marks a milestone in the GCI's long standing collaboration with the Institut National du Patrimoine in Tunisia. We are very happy that our work has resulted in our being able to share these treasures from Tunisia with the citizens of Los Angeles,“ said Tim Whalen, director of the Getty Conservation Institute.

“The exhibition was inspired by the Getty Conservation Institute’s pioneering work with us in Tunisia,” said Aïcha Ben Abed, curator of the exhibition and director of monuments and sites for the Institut National du Patrimoine, Tunisia. “That partnership is devoted to training to conserve Tunisia’s ancient mosaics within their original archaeological sites. As a result, Stories in Stone tells the story of conserving mosaics and the story of the artistry of these intricate stone masterpieces.”
Stories in Stone includes 26 of the finest mosaic pavements from Tunisia’s national collections. They are organized by four principal themes: nature, theater and spectacle, myths and gods, and conservation/technique. The mosaics featured within the exhibition represent the peak of North African mosaic production under the Roman Empire – from the second through the fifth centuries A.D.

North African mosaics are known for their vivid colors, which reflect the great variety of limestone and marble quarried in the region. The mosaics are made from multiple colors of limestone, often in combination with pieces of colored glass or marble. The original vibrant colors of North African Roman mosaics were achieved entirely through the nature of the materials themselves – no pigments or dyes were used to enhance color.
The process of creating a mosaic pavement began with cutting colored limestone and marble into small cubes or tiles called tesserae. The mosaicist subsequently chose from the variety of tesserae to create the composition of the mosaic. The selected tesserae were then painstakingly set into place, piece by piece, on top of a bedding layer of mortar, until vibrant scenes were formed. “Although visitors to the exhibition will appreciate the beauty of the individual mosaics, it is critical to remember that these objects were all originally parts of floors designed for specific structures within Roman Africa,” said Michael Brand, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “For this reason, when telling the stories behind each mosaic, we wanted to balance the celebration of each work’s artistry with insights about their original ancient Roman settings.”
An example of this integrated approach is offered by the exhibition’s treatment of the majestic Oceanus head, dated to approximately A.D. 250. The colossal head of Oceanus, father of the nymphs and protector of all waters, rises from the Mediterranean in the vividly colored mosaic work. This example of mosaic art is of such high quality in coloration and detail that it has the appearance of a painting.
Despite its significant size, it is in fact only the central piece of what had been a much larger pavement designed to embellish the baths at Themetra (present day Chott Meriem). An early photograph on display with the Oceanus mosaic reveals the rest of the intricate mosaic setting in which the head was formerly situated.

In the original complete mosaic pavement, the head of Oceanus was surrounded by a detailed composition featuring rolling waves, sailing ships, fishermen in their boats, and various species of marine life. Oceanus was depicted as a contrast to this activity - the calm center of a bustling scene gazing into the distance with a plaintive expression.
The Stories in Stone exhibition allows visitors to learn about the conservation of mosaics at their original locations in Tunisia through the “in situ” Technician Training Program created by the GCI and the Institut National du Patrimoine, and implemented by the government of Tunisia. This process is captured in text panels, a video entitled Conserving Mosaics at Sites, a touchable model of the cross-section of a mosaic floor, and displays of materials and tools revealing both how mosaics were made in antiquity and how they are preserved today. Additional videos within the exhibition include Tunisia: Past and Present, Mosaics and Architecture, and Conserving Mosaics in Museums.
This exhibition is co-curated by Janet Grossman, associate curator of antiquities for the J. Paul Getty Museum, and Kristin Kelly, assistant director of dissemination and research resources for the Getty Conservation Institute.

Visiting the Getty Villa

The Getty Villa is open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and major holidays. Admission to the Getty Villa is always free. An advance, timed ticket is required for each individual. Tickets can be obtained online at www.getty.edu or by phone at 310-440-7300. Parking is $8. Groups of nine or more must make reservations by phone. For more information, call 310-440-7300 (English or Spanish); 310-440-7305 (TTY line for the deaf or hearing impaired).
Additional information is available at www.getty.edu.
The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that features the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Getty Research Institute. The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu.

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