The Beauty of Durrës
Encyclopedia
The Beauty of Durrës or The Beautiful Maiden of Durrës is a polychromatic
mosaic
of the 4th century BC; the most ancient and prominent mosaic discovered in Albania
up to date. The 9 m² (96.9 sq ft) mosaic is elliptical in shape and depicts a woman’s head on a black background surrounded by flowers and floral elements. It was discovered in 1916 in Durrës
, and since 1982 has been exhibited at the National Historical Museum
in Tirana
.
(then Epidamnos
).
It has served as the decorative floor of a private and luxurious restroom.
The mosaic was discovered in 1916, in the middle of the World War I
, when Durrës was occupied by Austria-Hungary
. During the works of the Austro-Hungarian army
for the construction of a fortification, the military engineering troops ran into a mosaic, which was unearthed 3.8 m (12.5 ft) deep in the foundations of a house in the “Varosh” quarter, very close to nowadays Durrës city center. It was the distinguished Austrian
archaeologist, Camillo Praschniker who took care of the mosaic layer so it could be well-preserved. In his book Archaeological research in Albania and Montenegro , published in Vienna
in 1919 together with A. Schober, Praschniker was the first to include a picture of the mosaic and even call it a figurative masterpiece.
Eventually, after the war, The Beauty of Durrës was covered and lost; only to be rediscovered in 1947, by the archaeologist from Durrës, Vangjel Toçi. It became widely known for the scientific world only after 1959.
In 1982 the mosaic moved from Durrës and was placed in the main hall of antiquity in the National Historical Museum
, where it can still be visited today.
The form
al expression represents a good example of art in antiquity, where the Hellenistic art is combined with the local motives of the Illyrian art. It is considered one of the world's most expressive mosaics of its genre
. From a stylistical point of view, the mosaic of The Beauty of Durrës resembles to its contemporary mosaics discovered in Pella
(of then Ancient Macedonia).
, with red figures of the Hellenistic era. According to him, the Beauty of Durrës represents the Cretan goddess Eileithyia, known as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery
, who assisted in the babies' healthy delivery.
Whereas according to the head of Durrës Archaeological Museum
, archaeologist Dr. Afrim Hoti the portrait of the woman is probably maiden Aura, who accompanied goddess Artemis
in hunting.
The woman’s head is very large in scale, with a broad face and large cheeks. She has a long straight neck, whereas her head is slightly turned left side, showing a ¾ portrait.
Her image appears quiet and peaceful and her look is dreamy, almost melancholic. The woman figure is depicted with glossy red curvy lips. The painstakingly elaborated lips’ plasticity, the lusciousness of their form and their slightly open position, gives her an exceptional feminine
physiognomy
. A single small yellow and red pebble in her eyes' pupil
creates a rare genuine look on the woman's figure.
Her braided
crown of auburn hair is particularly well depicted and quite distinguished from the black background through the usage of a white silhouette
. The plastic effect of
the mosaic’s female figure in its whole integrity, represents a work of highly developed artistic craftsmanship for the time.
The female figure is surrounded by different flower species such as hyacinth
, lily, bellflower
, as well as floral elements like flower stalks, buds and petals.
technique, thus a light outline is drawn around the shapes using tesserae, which is contrasted by the dark black background. The river pebbles of different colors are stuck with each other with a great mastery. The plastic effect of the portrait is achieved by using several nuances of white pebbles, positioned in the model with an exceptional skill. Whereas the black lines are used only for modelling the portrait's main features.
minted a coin
with theme from Albanian antiquity, depicting the Beauty of Durrës and its decorative elements, both on its front and back side.
It is a serrated, white coin with a denomination of 50 Lekë. The diameter of the coin is 24.25 millimetre (0.954724409448819 in), with a weight of 5.50 grams. The Bank has issued 200000 coins and their material consists of CU75 Ni25 alloy
.
On the coin’s front side is imprinted The Beauty of Durrës mosaic, confined with arches on its sides and stylized floral motives loaned from the mosaic. Whereas in the coin arch there are several decorative motifs such as symmetrical circles of the Illyria
n period.
The reverse of the coin bears a decorative creation on its center, surrounded by floral motifs taken from the original mosaic. This figure is still accompanied by circles up to the coin arch, below which there is the inscription "SHQIPËRI-ALBANIA 2004".
The painter Petraq Papa realized the drawings of the coin.
These coins were minted by the Polish Mint
(Mennica Państwowa SA) in Warsaw
, Poland
.
especially in Durrës
, the city of its origin. Some modern usage of the mosaic figure are:
Polychromatic
The term polychromatic means having several colours.It is used to describe light that exhibits more than one color. In a technical respect, this can also mean that it contains radiation of more than one wavelength. The study of polychromatics is particularly useful in the production of diffraction...
mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
of the 4th century BC; the most ancient and prominent mosaic discovered in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
up to date. The 9 m² (96.9 sq ft) mosaic is elliptical in shape and depicts a woman’s head on a black background surrounded by flowers and floral elements. It was discovered in 1916 in Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
, and since 1982 has been exhibited at the National Historical Museum
National Historical Museum (Albania)
The National Historical Museum in Tirana, Albania, is the country's largest museum. It was opened on 28 October 1981 and is 27,000 square metres in size, while 18,000 square metres are available for expositions. The museum was designed by Albanian architect, Enver Faja.The construction of the...
in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
.
History
The mosaic is realized in the second half of 4th century BC in DurrësDurrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
(then Epidamnos
Epidamnos
The ancient Greek city of Epidamnos , later the Roman Dyrrachium was founded in 627 BCE in Illyria by a group of colonists from Corinth and Corcyra...
).
It has served as the decorative floor of a private and luxurious restroom.
The mosaic was discovered in 1916, in the middle of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when Durrës was occupied by Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. During the works of the Austro-Hungarian army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
for the construction of a fortification, the military engineering troops ran into a mosaic, which was unearthed 3.8 m (12.5 ft) deep in the foundations of a house in the “Varosh” quarter, very close to nowadays Durrës city center. It was the distinguished Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
archaeologist, Camillo Praschniker who took care of the mosaic layer so it could be well-preserved. In his book Archaeological research in Albania and Montenegro , published in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1919 together with A. Schober, Praschniker was the first to include a picture of the mosaic and even call it a figurative masterpiece.
Eventually, after the war, The Beauty of Durrës was covered and lost; only to be rediscovered in 1947, by the archaeologist from Durrës, Vangjel Toçi. It became widely known for the scientific world only after 1959.
In 1982 the mosaic moved from Durrës and was placed in the main hall of antiquity in the National Historical Museum
National Historical Museum (Albania)
The National Historical Museum in Tirana, Albania, is the country's largest museum. It was opened on 28 October 1981 and is 27,000 square metres in size, while 18,000 square metres are available for expositions. The museum was designed by Albanian architect, Enver Faja.The construction of the...
, where it can still be visited today.
Mosaic description
The 24 centuries old mosaic of The Beauty of Durrës has an approximate surface area of 9 m2. It is elliptical in shape with the major diameter having a distance of 5.1 metres (16.7 ft) and the minor diameter of 3 metres (9.8 ft). The mosaic is realized using unworked colorful pebbles and is still in fairly good condition.The form
FORM
FORM is the bimonthly membership magazine of the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles , and is published in Glendale, California by Balcony Media, Inc. The magazine was launched in 2007, and covers modern design and architecture...
al expression represents a good example of art in antiquity, where the Hellenistic art is combined with the local motives of the Illyrian art. It is considered one of the world's most expressive mosaics of its genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
. From a stylistical point of view, the mosaic of The Beauty of Durrës resembles to its contemporary mosaics discovered in Pella
Pella
Pella , an ancient Greek city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece, was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.-Etymology:...
(of then Ancient Macedonia).
The woman portrait
There exist two thesis on whom the portrait of the mosaic is. The historian and archaeologist Dr. Moikom Zeqo pointed out that the woman presented in the mosaic is the same as the one of the painted amphorae’s archetypes in Puglia and South ItalySouth Italy
South Italy is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics , a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency. South Italy encompasses six of the country's 20 regions:*Abruzzo...
, with red figures of the Hellenistic era. According to him, the Beauty of Durrës represents the Cretan goddess Eileithyia, known as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
, who assisted in the babies' healthy delivery.
Whereas according to the head of Durrës Archaeological Museum
Durrës Archaeological Museum
The Durrës Archaeological Museum in Durrës, Albania, established in 1951, is the largest archaeological museum in the country.The museum is located near the beach and north of the museum are the 6th-century Byzantine walls, constructed after the Visigoth invasion of 481...
, archaeologist Dr. Afrim Hoti the portrait of the woman is probably maiden Aura, who accompanied goddess Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
in hunting.
The woman’s head is very large in scale, with a broad face and large cheeks. She has a long straight neck, whereas her head is slightly turned left side, showing a ¾ portrait.
Her image appears quiet and peaceful and her look is dreamy, almost melancholic. The woman figure is depicted with glossy red curvy lips. The painstakingly elaborated lips’ plasticity, the lusciousness of their form and their slightly open position, gives her an exceptional feminine
Femininity
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
physiognomy
Physiognomy
Physiognomy is the assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face...
. A single small yellow and red pebble in her eyes' pupil
Pupil
The pupil is a hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to enter the retina. It appears black because most of the light entering the pupil is absorbed by the tissues inside the eye. In humans the pupil is round, but other species, such as some cats, have slit pupils. In...
creates a rare genuine look on the woman's figure.
Her braided
Braided
Braided is a musical group consisting of Casey LeBlanc, Ashley Leitao, and Amber Fleury, who all competed on the third season of Canadian Idol in 2005. They are the third music group to come from an Idol show in the world, second being Young Divas from Australia and first being Feminnem from Croatia...
crown of auburn hair is particularly well depicted and quite distinguished from the black background through the usage of a white silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
. The plastic effect of
the mosaic’s female figure in its whole integrity, represents a work of highly developed artistic craftsmanship for the time.
Background design
The design surrounding the female figure is unique concerning its composition and the mosaic background is black colored. It is characterized by a strong lyricism of forms, evident in the continuity of the curvaceous lines, spontaneously harmonic design and the non rigid distribution of the elements.The female figure is surrounded by different flower species such as hyacinth
Hyacinthus orientalis
Hyacinthus orientalis , is a perennial flowering plant, native to southwestern Asia, southern and central Turkey, northwestern Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.It is a bulbous plant, with a 3–7 cm diameter bulb...
, lily, bellflower
Campanula
Campanula is one of several genera in the family Campanulaceae with the common name bellflower. It takes its name from their bell-shaped flowers—campanula is Latin for "little bell"....
, as well as floral elements like flower stalks, buds and petals.
Technique
The Mosaic is made using the opus vermiculatumOpus vermiculatum
Opus vermiculatum is a type of mosaic which draws an outline around shapes using tesserae. This can be one or more rows and then contrasted in the background, typically with Opus tessellatum. The outline created is often light and offset by a dark background for greater contrast...
technique, thus a light outline is drawn around the shapes using tesserae, which is contrasted by the dark black background. The river pebbles of different colors are stuck with each other with a great mastery. The plastic effect of the portrait is achieved by using several nuances of white pebbles, positioned in the model with an exceptional skill. Whereas the black lines are used only for modelling the portrait's main features.
Coin depicting The Beauty of Durrës
In 2004, the Bank of AlbaniaBank of Albania
-Governors:* Ilir Hoti * Dylber Vrioni * Kristaq Luniku * Qamil Tusha * Prof. Dr. Shkëlqim Cani...
minted a coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
with theme from Albanian antiquity, depicting the Beauty of Durrës and its decorative elements, both on its front and back side.
It is a serrated, white coin with a denomination of 50 Lekë. The diameter of the coin is 24.25 millimetre (0.954724409448819 in), with a weight of 5.50 grams. The Bank has issued 200000 coins and their material consists of CU75 Ni25 alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
.
On the coin’s front side is imprinted The Beauty of Durrës mosaic, confined with arches on its sides and stylized floral motives loaned from the mosaic. Whereas in the coin arch there are several decorative motifs such as symmetrical circles of the Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
n period.
The reverse of the coin bears a decorative creation on its center, surrounded by floral motifs taken from the original mosaic. This figure is still accompanied by circles up to the coin arch, below which there is the inscription "SHQIPËRI-ALBANIA 2004".
The painter Petraq Papa realized the drawings of the coin.
These coins were minted by the Polish Mint
Polish Mint
The Polish Mint is a private company which is the only body permitted to manufacture coins and banknotes in Poland. It is located in Warsaw...
(Mennica Państwowa SA) in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
The mosaic figure as part of culture and modern society
The Beauty of Durrës represents a symbol of beauty and its iconic figure is used in several cases in modern visual art, popular culture, commercial life throughout AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
especially in Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
, the city of its origin. Some modern usage of the mosaic figure are:
- The scenography of the 30th edition of Festivali i Këngës (English: Song’s Festival) in 1991, consisted mainly on an imitation in a larger scale of The Beauty of Durrës, though it differed somehow from the original mosaic.
- Association “Bukuroshja e Durrësit” in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)The Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports is part of the Albanian government responsible for implementation of government tourism, cultural affairs, youth and sports policy. The current minister is Aldo Bumçi of the Democratic Party of Albania.-References:...
organizes the International Festival of Modern Dance, held from 2006 both in DurrësDurrësDurrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
and TiranaTiranaTirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. - The Albanian artist of marble, Isa Shuaipi realized an artistic imitation of The Beauty of Durrës in June 2009. His work was done by using more than 45 thousand small marble pebbles of five different colors on a quadratic plane with dimensions 120 cm (47.2 in) by 80 cm (31.5 in).
- In the International SummerFest Film of Durrës, the best short film award is named “The Beauty of Durrës” or “The Beautiful Maiden of Durrës Award”.
- As for the commercial sector, one of the two restaurants of the best five star hotel in Durrës bears the name of the mosaic “The Beauty of Durrës” (Bukuroshja e Durrësit).