AJA

Current Issue: January 2012 (116.1)

Betsey A. Robinson examines a Severan mosaic in the South Stoa in Corinth

The Eutychia mosaic occupies a privileged place in a public building on the forum of Corinth, Greece. It was probably installed ca. 200 C.E. and was cherished enough to be repaired in late antiquity. It was thus as significant a monument as many more traditional and better-known works of civic and religious art in the city, but it has received minimal attention.

The central panel of the mosaic is shown here.  It is a pseudo-emblema, apparently created on the spot.  The young man is easily identified as a victorious athlete. His form is inspired by classical models, and his crown and palm are long established as tokens of victory. He prompts an exploration of athletic imagery at Corinth and its relationship to broader currents in the history of art and culture in the Greek East. The seated female figure is more complicated. She is a syncretic being, with features resembling those of at least two members of the Corinthian pantheon, the armed Aphrodite of Acrocorinth and the nymph Peirene. She is unquestionably a goddess, nude from the hips up, with firm breasts rendered in concentric circles. No seat is indicated, but the presence of a footrest under her feet indicates that she is enthroned. On her right thigh, she holds a shield inscribed with the word “EYTYXIA” (eutychia), meaning “success” or “good luck.”