Corinian school
The Corinian School (in English Corinian School ) is the modern name of a group of mosaics that were laid out in the fourth century AD in Corinium Dobunnorum ( Cirencester ) in the Roman province of Britannia prima ( Britain ) and the surrounding area and have peculiarities in style and repertoire that distinguish them from other mosaics. This school probably went back to, or was perhaps identical to, a workshop in Corinium Dobunnorum .
About forty mosaic floors are known that can be ascribed to this school. Most of them come from villas around Corinium Dobunnorum , but also from the city itself. This school could be identified on the basis of stylistic and iconographic peculiarities that are typical only for these mosaics.
A typical motif of this school are representations of Orpheus . It is a popular motif on mosaics throughout ancient times. Orpheus is usually depicted sitting in a field surrounded by animals. In the Corinian School mosaics, however, he is depicted sitting alone in a circle or octagon. The animals are arranged in a further, outer, larger circle around the central image.
In addition to the representation of Orpheus, the mosaics have many other things in common, such as the preference for certain patterns and motifs (for example goblets).
Recent research divides the Corinian School into further subgroups, such as the Orpheus Group .
literature
- David J. Smith: Three fourth century schools of mosaics in Roman Britain. In: La Mosaique Gréco-Romaine. Vol. 1, 1963 (1965), ZDB -ID 772791-4 , pp. 95-115.
- David J. Smith: The Corinian School. In: Albert LF Rivet (Ed.): The Roman Villa in Britain. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1969, pp. 97-102.
