Unknown Artist
Ktisis, the bejeweled woman, holds the measuring tool for the Roman foot. She personifies the act of generous donation or foundation. The man with a cornucopia, originally one of a pair flanking her, has the Greek inscription “good” by his head, half of a text that probably said, “good wishes.” The fragment, made of marble and glass tesserae (small pieces of colored material), is typical of the exceptional mosaics created throughout the Byzantine world in the 500s.
These two figures were acquired by the museum separately and they have been restored in accordance with a dealer’s photograph showing their original arrangement while in storage before separation.
See you tomorrow!