Mosaic Basics Flashcards
What is a mosaic?
A picture or pattern produced by arranging together pieces of stone, tile, glass
Where do mosaics come from?
Greece
What were early mosaics like
Early mosaics were made out of simple black and white tesserae
Monochrome mosaics
Black and white mosaics
Tesserae
The name for the small pieces of stone
What were later mosaics like
More complex, with multi-coloured tesserae, and they were made of differing materials such as stone, marble or glass
Two types of mosaics
- Emblemata
- In situ
What are emblemata
A prefabricated mosaic that would be constructed in a workshop by a craftsman specialising in mosaics and set into a panel (sometimes made of marbel) and then set a into a pre-prepares spot in the floor. Often they were the centrepiece of a larger floor
In situ
The artist makes the mosaic in place i.e. on the floor of the house or pavement in a city
Opus tessellatum
Laid in straight rows to form geometric patterns in black and white
Opus sectile
Often bordered by opus tessellatum. More intricate decoration. Relatively large pieces of coloured marble cut into geometric shapes (circles, diamonds, squares) and laid to form a pavement. Expensive and not often found in private homes
Opus vermiculatum
This technique was used for polychrome mosaics. This is where rows of small tesserae are placed around a central mosaic design. Means ‘little worm’ because the rows of tesserae wind around the central design like worms. Has the effect of highlighting the central design
Techniques in opus vermiculatum
- Outlines to highlight particular features
- Highlighting could be created by using a row of lighter coloured tesserae
- Shadows/shading could be created by using a row of darker coloured tesserae
- Gradual changes to tone could be used which would help convey a sense of volume/dimension to figures/objects
