A crescentic mosaic panel depicting the upper half of the winged female personification of Summer, in a closely fitting white chiton with an embroidered band showing below the waiste, holding a sickle in her right hand and wheat sheaf of corn in her left (the attributes of the summer harvest); wearing the personal adornments of a gold diadem with a green medallion at the front as well as bracelets and a necklace with a large gold medallion, above the head, the text 'ΘΕΡΙΝΗ' (summer) in black denoting here identity; executed in tesserae made of marble with the addition of glass elements indicating a mosaic of high status; the panel shaped to form a quadrant with a disc to the centre; probably one of a suite of four similar panels depicting the Four Seasons being at the corners of a large circular central tondo; the style of the work would suggest a Metropolitan workshop, probably that of Antioch, which alongside Constantinople and Ravenna were the foremost centres for mosaics at the period, the style of the inscription suggests a date of the late 5th-early 6th century AD, such an imposing pavement mosaic could be associated with the large-scale works undertaken by Justinian at the beginning of his reign (527-565 AD); mounted on a board backing.

PROVENANCE:
Property of a Surrey gentleman; acquired in London in 2002; formerly in a Swiss private collection, Zurich in 1987.

LITERATURE:
Cf. iconographic parallels on the mosaic of Severus from Hamath Tiberias Synagogue and the Church of Beth Alpha. P. Dunbabin, Mosaics of the Greek and Roman World, No.202f.

FOOTNOTES:
Accompanied by a copy of the report by Michael Dennis O'Hara (Byzantine Coins and Their Values), dated 29th April 2007.