Title: Cosmology and the Labors of the Months at Piacenza: The Crypt Mosaic at San Savino
Abstract: The twelfth-century floor mosaic in the crypt of San Savino, Piacenza, preserves an intriguing iconographic program that combines a variety of themes. Images of the labors of the months and the signs of the zodiac appear within a set of twelve medallions whose outer borders are inscribed with an Ausonian verse. The medallions of January and February are segregated from the others and are flanked by a pair of figures who appear to rotate them. The other ten medallions are placed within a field of chevron patterns representing the sea. The remaining figural images, which include groups of combatants and a scene from the legend of the unicorn, are located in a mosaic frieze that borders the western edge of the main field. The article proposes that these themes create an image of the microcosmos and the macrocosmos. The figures rotating the January and February medallions are used to symbolize the ages of man and so represent the microcosmos. Within this context the images of the labors and zodiac are read as representations of temporality. The ten medallions in the main field take up this theme, but at a macrocosmic level. Because these roundels should be read as surrounded by the sea, they are best interpreted as symbols of the earth. The labors portray the nature and the bounties of the earth, whereas the signs of the zodiac represent the effects of the heavens upon the terrestrial world. All of these themes are imbued with a Christian message through their juxtaposition with the scenes in the western frieze. The combatants represent the present disorder of the world brought about by humankind, whereas the scene of the unicorn, a symbol of the Incarnation, recognizes the divine and eternal order of the Christian cosmos.
Publication Year: 1995
Publication Date: 1995-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 3
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