Art Institute of Chicago

Mosaic Fragment with Grazing Camel

Byzantine; Eastern Mediterranean, probably Syria

Date

5th century

Medium

Stone in mortar

Culture

Byzantine Empire

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This image of a grazing camel probably came from a larger composition with other animals that decorated the floor of a semipublic space within a private home, such as a reception or dining room. This animal is represented against a white ground decorated with florets. A bell hangs from the camel’s neck as it reaches toward an object, perhaps a vessel filled with water, at the lower right. The knobby contours of the camel’s body are accentuated by areas of shading in subtly modulated colors, including black, brown, brick red, and olive green.

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