Lion and Gazelle “An Insightful Mosaic Wall of My House”

An Insightful Mosiac Wall of My House and its Depiction in Ancient Art

In my house, there is a phenomenally mythical wall. It is decorated with mosaic art by inlaying carved pieces of mirror and colored glasses. It portrays a hunting scene, in which a tiger is attacking a gazelle (bystanders call it a Deer) near a tropical palm tree. There are three flying ducks and three deep mountains resting in the background. There is bloodshed in the scene but it does not give a feeling of brutality. The whole scene is framed in a chain of geometrical patterns.

Living in a modern society, this mosaic is just a decorative wall for every guest who comes to my house. But having a background in Art History, I can realize its symbolic representation. The wall is placed in the sitting hall. And whenever I sit there, it bugs me to write about it. I took an image of a fresco painting from Google as a reference to indicate the relationship between the mosaic wall of my house and ancient imagery. 

Generally, the hunting scene symbolizes royalty and bravery from ancient times. However, after extensive research, I found that each object on the mosaic wall of my house has a symbolic meaning in history. Like, the lion symbolizes male power, strength, and courage. And the gazelle is a tender woman because of its long neck and beautiful sharp eyes. The conquering lion has a multitude of meanings in history, some researchers refer to it based on political or social and others on religious factors. 

The tree represents a garden or paradise in different religions or cultures, but the palm tree symbolizes victory and immortality. It reveals that the scene belongs to near-east or tropical regions. The flying duck is a species of wild duck known as Mallard. These flying Mallards also have mythological, spiritual, and symbolic meanings in different beliefs and faiths. I read somewhere that it is a sign of fortune, here I feel as if they are scared or perhaps migrating. There are three birds and three mountains in the background, usually number 3 is considered a lucky number (not sure). In history, number counts, geometrical shapes, and mosaic art itself have iconic importance.

Lastly, I want to share more, when I shifted to this house 5 years ago, this wall inspired me that there are symbolic meanings and hidden stories in it. After completing my M.Phil. in Art History, I could be able to find out those meanings and stories. I don't know who lived in this house before us, maybe they have any particular belief or they just constructed this wall as a decoration, God knows better! There are some more unique architectural ornaments in my house that I will share later in my writings. 

This type of house decoration may be unique in our culture, but it could be a common practice in other regions.