Mosaic Fragment with a Man Leading a Giraffe
INV-1264byzantineancientarchitectural fragmentmosaic
Date
5th century
Medium
Stone in mortar
Dimensions
170.8 × 167 × 6.4 cm (67 1/4 × 65 3/4 × 2 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Robert B. Mayer
This is one of only a few representations of a giraffe from the Early Byzantine period. Its accuracy suggests that the designers directly observed giraffes that were brought to Constantinople as gifts for the emperor, as described in 5th-century texts. The figure in this fragment wears a long fabric wrap with an intricate knot as well as a headdress, suggesting that he represents the “Indian” keeper who reportedly accompanied the animals from their place of origin. Viewers of this mosaic may have had a limited understanding of world geography, so we are not sure if they assumed that the pair had traveled from eastern Africa (south of Egypt) or the subcontinent of India.
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