[Source:www.bcheights.com"]
By: Leon Ratz
Posted: 2/18/08
Tonight, the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College brings ancient antiquity to life as it opens its doors to Tree of Paradise: Jewish Mosaics from the Roman Empire. This long-awaited exhibition, organized by the Brooklyn Museum, features 21 mosaic tiles and a reconstruction of the beautiful ancient mosaic floor from a synagogue in Hammam-Lif, Tunisia. The exhibition also showcases 40 works from the Brooklyn Museum's Roman Art collection, including contemporary jewelry, coins, marble statues, and ritual objects, along with nine intricately woven North African Islamic Tiraz textiles.
Dr. Nancy Netzer, McMullen Museum director and professor in the art history department, said, "Superbly conceived by the Brooklyn Museum to pose larger questions about links among various faith communities in Late Antiquity, this exhibition and its public programs draw on strengths of the Boston College faculty's research and curriculum and on the University's commitment to exploring the relationship among Jews, Christians, and Muslims from antiquity to the present."
The exhibition commences on the lower floor of the museum with an introduction to the ancient world of Tunisia and its surrounding areas, with ancient objects associated with the Phoenicians, Greco-Romans, Jews, early Christians, and Muslims. Included in this collection is an ancient Phoenician funerary Stela, which features the lunar goddess Tanit of Carthage, dating from the second Century B.C., a green jasper Gnostic gem from the beginning of the first millennium depicting the ancient Egyptian deity Osiris, along with an inscription of the name of God in Hebrew, and a bronze coin of Constantine the Great dating from the fourth century C.E. Many of these objects offer a spectacular insight into the interconnectedness of early Christianity, pagan Greco-Roman traditions, and Judaism in North Africa. For instance, one item on display is an incense burner from the fifth century C.E. which was probably not produced in a Jewish context. The cup at the top of the burner, however, includes an inscription in Greek along with a depiction of a menorah, the unequivocal symbol of Judaism throughout ancient antiquity. On display directly next to the incense burner is a strikingly similar early Christian lamp from the sixth century C.E. Dr. Ruth Langer, associate professor of Jewish studies in the theology department and academic director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning said, "These works reveal a society where Jews were more integrated and accepted than ancient texts would suggest."
The lower floor also includes a stunning collection of nine beautiful Islamic textiles from North Africa. Featuring cotton, wool, and even silk textiles, this collection demonstrates the importance of textiles in the region for common-day and religious use. In fact, Dr. Sheila Blair, professor of Islamic and Asian Art, points out that given the beautiful design of these textiles, evidence suggests that many early Christians used them to wrap the bones and relics of saints.
The exhibition continues on the top floor with its centerpiece: the ancient mosaic floor of the Hammam Lif (ancient-day Naro) Synagogue. These mosaics were discovered by chance in 1883 by French army captain, Ernest de Prudhomme, while preparing ground for gardening. A panel in the center of the floor includes a Latin inscription that states that the mosaic floor of the synagogue was a gift by a certain Juliana. The floor is divided into four sections around the inscription, bearing beautiful images of baskets of fruit and bread, fish, a hare, a lion, a date palm tree, and two distinctively Jewish menorahs. One analysis of the mosaic floor suggests that the upper part of the floor depicts Creation, with symbols such as the giant fish (leviathan) and ox common to Jewish tradition associated with the creation vignette, while the lower part of the floor represents Paradise, with mosaic panels depicting symbols and imagery associated with the Garden of Eden. For instance, the date palm tree (the namesake of the exhibition), according to researchers at the Brooklyn Museum, might represent the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil of Eden depicted in the Book of Genesis. Other mosaics in Prudhomme's collection on display at the McMullen (separate from the sanctuary floor) include panels depicting fish, gazelles, a rooster, a hyena, a partridge, and perhaps even a personification of Roma. "Today, these panels provide a fascinating contrast to the much richer archaeological evidence for synagogues of this period now known from the Land of Israel," Langer said.
The exhibition opens tonight at the McMullen with a reception at 7 p.m., and will be on view through June 8 before traveling to Miami's Lowe Art Museum. So grab your Indiana Jones hat and visit the McMullen this spring to see ancient religions and cultures merge to form a truly unforgettable mosaic.
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