The Sol Invictus convex mirror is all about gold. The frame was gilded and I added layers of three colors of gold Venetian rods. The glass was studded by clear cabochons in various sizes. They “warp” the linear nature of the rods in a delightful and unexpected way.
The Sol Invictus convex mirror is about 22 inches in diameter. It will be shipped to my New York city venue, KRB Designs( 212-288-2221).
Sol Invictus( “the unconquered sun god”) was one of two sun deities during the late Roman Empire. Sol Indiges was the other sun god and was the god of agriculture in early Roman history. He petered out after the first century.
Needless to say, the image of Sol Invictus was powerful. He literally radiated an invincible aura with his radiant solar ray crown. Roman emperors copied this crown on coins and statuary in order to emulate the divine connection between them and Sol Invictus.
As the borders of the Empire expanded, the Eternal City became a melting pot of different cultures. Italian traditions mingled with those of Africa and Asia Minor, and Sol Indiges combined with an eastern Sun deity to become Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun.” During the third century AD, this second Sol gradually evolved from a god into the god of Rome. The emperor Elagabalus, who was raised in Syria, placed every god worshipped within Rome, including Jupiter, under the umbrella of the Sun god — one of many provocations that would anger the Roman elites and eventually led to his assassination at the hands of the Praetorian Guard.
Oddly, Sol Invictus held on. By the time of Constantine the Great converted to Chrianity, Sol Invictus evolved into the Christian Christ.
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