MOSAIC ARTIST, Italian
(active 1215-1235 in Venice)

South cupola, west narthex

1215-35
Mosaic
Basilica di San Marco, Venice

The mosaic decoration of the exterior of San Marco was begun between 1215 and 1225 with the south cupola of the west narthex. Here, in three concentric registers, the story of the Creation is retold in twenty-two scenes, beginning in the first register with the dove hovering over the waters, and concluding in the third register with the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise. The Creation cycle was designed after a Greek manuscript of Genesis from the late fifth century.