6 Hypnotic Works of Hexagonal Symmetry in Art

Hexagonal symmetry in art shows through in six-fold symmetry. Six-fold or hexagonally symmetry consists of a radially dispersed pattern repeated six times, around a center point. Images of mandalas and clock-style art come to mind when we think of radial symmetry, which is but one kind of many types of symmetry beyond the bilateral mirror image symmetry most are familiar with. We can become familiar with the archetypes of pure number by gazing on the different numbers of radial symmetry and the feelings they invoke.

There are actually many more rich examples of twelve-fold symmetry in art. This precludes hexagonal symmetry in art, because every two subunits gives one unit in the six-fold. Dodecagonal symmetry in art strikingly reflect the master story of the twelve zodiac signs, and the Hero’s journey archetype we learn about in my article on twelveness. Here, I excluded the 12-fold symmetry examples and we are just looking at the hexagonaly symmetry in art.

How to See Hexagonal Symmetry in Art

We clearly see hexagonal symmetry in art when there are actual hexagons laid out. In these examples, we can also find the focal points of the art laid out around the edges with 6-fold symmetry, or spaced about 60 degrees apart out of the 360 degrees of a circle. If it’s hard to tell what symmetry is present, like in complex tilings and tessallations, you can pick a point and count out the repetitions around it in a circle. We will see this in M.C. Escher’s tilings!

1. Byzantine Plate: Presentation of David to Saul

This plate from the 7th century depicts the biblical story of David telling Saul he will battle Goliath. The hexagonal symmetry is seen in the focal points, and there is two ways of looking at it. The 6 points could be the jugs at the bottom, the hands at the sides, and the side points of the roof. These are evenly spaces around the circle. Another way to make hexagonal symmetry in this art is the top of the roof, the bottom bucket, and the feet and heads of the people on the side.

The hexagonal symmetry may have been used simply as a more hormonious and orderly arranement on the plate. A rather interesting connection is that this is the same David for whom the Star of David is named, the Jewish name of the typical hexagram.

2. Mosaics of Orpheus

Orpheus is actually in more than one mosaic in the shape of a hexagon. Hexagons are common in Italian and Greek floor mosaics, perhaps because hexagons tile better than almost any other polygon. Orpheus rules over music and poetry, depicted with a lyre playing music.

This piece is held by the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest and dates to the 3rd century AD.

3. Guilloche in Jerusalem Floors

In recently excavated ancient temples hexagonal emblems line the floors. This example has hexagons and a hexagram nested inside one another. The wrapping “ribbons” on the borders and within the hexagram are the guilloche component. Guilloche is a kind of ornamentive decoration with these swirling or radial patterns.

4. Archangel Michael Icon

Another Byzantine piece, this icon of the Archangel Michael depicts hexagonal symmetry similar to the plate of David and Saul. The focal points if his wrists, wings, and the upper emblems are distributed evenly around the border. This piece is said to date from the late 10th century.

Especially interesting is all the enamelwork on this piece. It is overtly ornate and the Archangel’s posing projects a sense of interceding between realms. The hexagonal symmetry combined with all the focalpoints throughout, makes the icon seem very animated and striking.

5. M.C. Escher’s Tessallations

M.C. Escher created many tessllations, which are complex tilings that fill space with repeating patterns. The six-fold symmetry may be hard to see at first. Look at one of the central bird’s beaks and count around in a circle how many birds congregate at each point. You will see for each point there are six sources of repetition, 3 white and 3 black.

Here is a very good deep dive on M.C. Escher’s use of platonic solids in constructing his works.

These fish more overtly show the hexagonal symmetry because you can count three fish heads and three fish tails at the intersections. The intersections are also highlighted with gridlines. The gridlines actually form a kind of convex-feeling pattern that resembles what’s called a Poincare disk. Escher blended many cutting edge geometrical elements together in his creative works.

6. Guilloche at Lod Floor Mosaics

Here is another guilloche like #3 and convex hexagonal floor mosaic like #2. We also see tessellation in this example with different animals in their own hexagons. The tiled patterns in between add to the impression of six-fold symmetry between the animals cells.

So we see hexagonal, large, mosaics not only in Greek and Italian works, but also North African (#2) and Israel as well.

To see more examples of how radial (rotational) symmetry contributes to historical and cultural iconography, you can also see 11 cultural symbols beautiful because of their rotational symmetry.