Antioch Mosaics at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA)

Mapping the history of the BMA's Antioch Mosaics by exploring their history, excavation, patronage, transportation, and current home.

Clara Leverenz

In 1927, the French Antiquities Service reached out to Princeton University with a proposal for the institution to excavate Antioch Charles Rufus Morey, the chair of Princeton's Department of Art and Archaeology at the time, caught word of this proposition. He had previously worked on an archaeological expedition in Syria under Princeton Professor of the History of Architecture Howard Crosby Butler, and was thus extremely excited about this potential project. He wrote to the then Princeton President Bryard Dodge in December of 1927, stating, "As you probably know, we have had this project as a dream for some years." Morey conceptualized the venture as an extension of his work with Professor Butler, so much so that he even debated naming the project "the Howard Crosby Butler Memorial Expedition in Syria" (De Giorgi 30).

This surprising turn of events caught many of the initial sponsors off guard. Some sponsors were initially disappointed. Some even considered withdrawing their sponsorships, until the special nature of the mosaics revealed themselves. This is evident in the case of the Louvre, where representatives only agreed to continue their patronage after the discovery of the Judgement of Paris mosaic.......

Public Reception in Baltimore

Above is an article from The Sun that was published in October 6, 1936. The piece documents the words of Antioch excavation patron and Baltimore Museum of Art Trustee Robert Garrett as well as the plans for the mosaics in Baltimore.

Baltimore Museum of Art. East side, Antioch Court, The Baltimore Museum of Art. Digital Maryland, collections.digitalmaryland.org/digital/collection/basc/id/17/rec/6. Accessed 29 June 2020.

Becker, Lawrence, and Christine Kondoleon. The Arts of Antioch: Art Historical and Scientific Approaches to Roman Mosaics and a Catalogue of the Worcester Art Museum Antioch Collection. Worcester, Worcester Art Museum, 2005.

Dunbabin, Katherine M. D. Mosaics of the Greek and Roman World. Cambridge, Cambridge UP, 2012.

Preliminary map of Antioch showing projected location of ancient features and probable areas for excavation. The Excavation of Antioch-On-The-Orontes 1932-1939, Princeton University, vrc.princetoWorks Cited

Acknowledgements

Above is an article from The Sun that was published in October 6, 1936. The piece documents the words of Antioch excavation patron and Baltimore Museum of Art Trustee Robert Garrett as well as the plans for the mosaics in Baltimore.