Attempting to understand the term "mosaic" (part 2)


"mosaic"



Consideration #2 ( Christian Arch. Company - 19thcentury)

I found some intriguing information in 19th century letters of the Christian Archaeological association in Greece regarding the restoration of the Dafni mosaics by Italian capo musaicistaFrancesco Novo.

He was called mUsaicista, not mosaicista. This means that mOsaic and mOsaicista were terms introduced later.

Still this fact alone doesn’t confirm the origin of the term "mosaic" being either muse or museum. Or what if it was music? Then things get even really complicated...

Before proceeding any further, let me share some of my findings from the Greek correspondence mentioned above.

capo musaicista αρχιμουσειωτής (both words mentioned in the text)
μουσειωτής (mouseiotis)
μουσειωτικόν κατάστημα (museiotikon katastima, mosaic shop)
μωσαϊκά, έπιδιορθωθέντων μωσαϊκών (mosaics, repaired mosaics)
The term “mouseiotis” is also mentioned in a website for the arts (bizarticon.gr):
Παύλος ο μουσειωτής (ψηφιδογράφος). Φιλοτέχνησε θαυμαστή εικόνα του Χριστού στο ναό της Αγίας Σοφίας στην Κωνσταντινούπολη - Pavlos o mouseiotis....ecc
Therefore, mosaics were indeed called mosaics but mosaicista and mosaic shop were written and pronounced with U instead of an O.

I was thinking that I needed to get my hands on ancient texts on Sosus of Pergamon, the only mosaicist to have been recorded.

But where on earth could I get those books in Italy?

(to be continued)
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