Earlier this year, we shared  the remarkable story of a series of circa-300 A.D. mosaic floors then on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. We've recently discovered that the exhibition has moved to the Chicago area, where it will be on display until later this coming spring..

In 1996, during the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway construction project, a most extraordinary and number of beautiful mosaic floors were discovered in Lod (formerly known as Lydda), Israel.

The series of floors, which date back to around 300 A.D., are believed to have graced the reception rooms of a wealthy Roman. They measure approximately 50' x 27' and were constructed entirely by hand by highly skilled craftsmen using small cubes (tesserea) of various colored stones, terra cotta, and glass.  The design features a large square central panel, measuring 13 sq. feet, comprised of a medallion featuring an array of animals, flanked on either side by two rectangular panels.  One of the flanking panels depicts fish and other exotice marine life. The entire collection of floors was well preserved due to the fact that the side walls of the original structure collapsed and lay along with coins and pottery until its recent discovery. Excavation is on going.  The floors are currently on view at the Chicago Field Museum through Aprill 22, 2012.  Learn more here.

Close observation of the floors and their various elements, ideas for a quilt easily come to mind.  The medallion, cables, and detailed designs translate easily to quilting.  Obviously great minds think alike, as we found a number of quilts in the TQS Quilt Gallery that feature tile and mosaic elements in their design.