Refreshed Labels in the Antioch Court

Over the summer of 2022, Dr. Kevin Tervala and Dr. Jennifer Kingsley refreshed the labels throughout the Antioch Court at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Without moving a single object this intervention changes the narrative told by the mosaics. Here are some changes to the object labels to note:

1. Artists: Rather than leaving the artist line of the label blank, the labels now read “Unidentified Artists,” drawing attention to the unnamed artists who made the mosaic floors at Antioch.  

2. Titles: each label now refers to its object as “Fragment of floor mosaic depicting…” The emphasis on each mosaic’s status as a fragment of a much larger floor contrasts with the previous practice of substituting the fragment for a whole mosaic, which hung on the wall like a panel painting. In addition, past labels substituted the subject depicted in each mosaic fragment for an object title, making it seem as though each fragment had a known title given to it by an artist. The current convention draws attention to the mosaics as fragements and to their subject matter as an act of interpretation.

3. Location: Each label now identifies the archaeological name “Sector XYZ” for the region from which it came. The sector names are assigned by archaeologists in the field to identify spaces on a map. This information allows visitors to connect fragments from the same sector.

4. Materials: Each label now names the different materials that make up each mosaic fragment, including stones, glass, lime mortar, and other materials.

Join us next week for an exploration of the longer wall texts and maps!