Artist Unknown

I have written several articles about artists and art museums. While doing the research for one of my Hubs, I noticed that there were quite a few paintings labeled Unknown Artist or Artist Unknown.

This seemed so wrong to me! Some of the paintings had survived many hundreds of years, but the name of the person who had executed the painting had not survived. I wrote an article about paintings by unknown artists, and it was well-received. A few of my readers have asked me to write a sequel. I am very happy to do so.

This article is a bit different than my last one, however. I have learned that not only are there paintings by unknown artists, there are mosaics and beautifully woven and embroidered pieces of cloth by artists whose names have been lost for all time. I hope you enjoy viewing the works I've included in this article as much as I enjoyed discovering them.

A mosaic is an image created from small pieces—tesserae—of ceramic tile, glass, stone, or other materials. The tesserae, which are basically cube-like in shape, are adhered to walls, floors, or ceilings, forming a picture or an intricate design.

The mosaic pictures are not created on flat surfaces—on tables or on the ground—and then lifted up and “glued” into place. They’re created where you see them.

The Cupola of Genesis at the top of this article, for example, was created by an unknown artist lying on his back on scaffolding just below the roof of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, Italy. Every day for many months—perhaps years—a creative genius cut and adhered tiny pebbles or pieces of stone to the interior of the cupola (domed portion of roof) in the basilica while lying on his back.

I am in awe of the man who, in the year 1210, created this masterpiece. What a shame it is that his name is not known!

A marriage canopy (chuppah) is a canopy under which a Jewish couple stands during their wedding ceremony. The canopy, which consists of a cloth supported by four poles, symbolizes the home which the newlyweds will build together.

The Jewish Museum in New York City has a beautiful example of a marriage canopy created in 1867 to 1868 by an unknown artist in its collection. The cloth has a silk-satin weave and is embroidered with metallic thread and spangles.