Mosaic of a Wild Boar on the Northern Aisle Floor of the Byzantine Church of Petra 550

This mosaic of a wild boar on the Northern Aisle Floor of the Byzantine Church of Petra was crafted by Byzantine Mosaics using small pieces of stone and glass called tesserae. These materials, humble yet durable, were carefully selected and arranged to create an image of the natural world, right under the feet of the church's worshippers. Look closely, and you can see how the artist used the inherent qualities of the tesserae, their varied colors, textures, and shapes, to give life to the boar's form. Creating a mosaic like this required the division of labor, from quarrying the stone to cutting and setting each individual piece. It speaks to the highly skilled traditions that existed alongside the fine arts, traditions of design and making deeply embedded in the social and cultural context of the time. Ultimately, understanding the materials, the making, and the context, can illuminate the deep meaning behind the image, blurring the lines between art and craft, design and function.