Gnosis (mosaicist)

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Pella animal hunt pebble mosaic, signature of Gnosis at the top right

Gnosis ( Greek  Γνῶσις ) was a Greek mosaicist of the late 4th century BC. He is the first mosaicist known by name, as he signed the mosaic of the banquet room Delta of the large town house I 5 by Pella (ΓΝΩΣΙΣ ΕΠΟΗΣΕΝ “made by Gnosis”).

The high-quality pebble mosaic shows a hunting scene. Two naked youths attack a stag placed in the middle of the composition from left and right, which is also jumped at by a hunting dog in the foreground. By staggering the levels and overlapping the figures, a spatial effect is achieved. The dramatic effect of the movement of the young men, who lift the double ax or the sword for a fatal blow, is reinforced by the folds of the flying coats ( chlamys ).

literature

  • Herbert Marwitz: Gnosis 2. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 2, Stuttgart 1967, column 839.
  • Dieter Salzmann: Gnosis . In: General Artist Lexicon . The visual artists of all times and peoples (AKL). Volume 56, Saur, Munich a. a. 2007, ISBN 978-3-598-22796-7 , p. 311.
  • Dieter Salzmann: Investigation of the ancient pebble mosaics from the beginnings to the beginning of the tessera technology. Berlin 1982
personal data
SURNAME Gnosis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek mosaicist
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC BC or 3rd century BC Chr.