Twisted Ribbon Design and Geometry
The twisted ribbon border is a meandering pattern of what appears to be a flat ribbon waving along across the mosaic in a repeated manner. While there is thought to be no major significance to the pattern itself, it represents “the movement towards ornamental complexity” in the Antioch mosaics, “which was born in the late second century.” The ribbon itself is typically different colors on each side, which are shaded into gradients as it arcs. This paper will focus on the twisted ribbon that transverses sinusoidally, and it identifies some variations of the pattern.
This paper is written for the Antioch Recovery Project, part of the Classics Research Lab at Johns Hopkins University. While I arrive at certain claims through my work, there is no “conclusion” to this topic. This paper serves as a journal surrounding my research into the Twisted Ribbon border pattern. I encourage others to add on or disagree with certain aspects, and perform similar studies to other design elements of the Antioch Mosaics.
Alex Klein