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Cathedral Triptych A (mosaic: [Chi-Rho] scs: Tîrgu [Scythia in Chinese, 4 characters]; marble: Traino Optimo Aug[usto])
Wall section from cathedral. Mosaic, with gold tesseræ, and marble held with bronze lozenge-shaped clips. c. 1240 CE/101CE. Dressed fieldstone, yellow sienna marble, bronze, gold, grey breccia marble, 68 x 160 cm (27 x 63"). Courtesy of the Museum of Modern Antiquities Southwest.
The Cathedral was built over an earlier Roman Triumphal Arch; this section of wall shows the earlier Roman layer (c. 101 CE) in the upper left corner. The stunning example of Chinese characters on a Byzantine church is quite singular and is most likely because of the heavy influence of the Silk Road, there are brief records of Chinese traders on a northern branch of the Silk Road in the Castle Tîrgu area prior to its sacking in 1242 CE. [2006, Mixed Media & Polychrome] |
