 The
history of mosaic art
- Mosaics in the ancient
world |
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The
history of mosaic
goes back some
4,000 years
or more, with
the use of terracotta
cones pushed
point-first
into a background
to give decoration.
By the eighth
century BC,
there were pebble
pavements, using
different coloured
stones to create
patterns, although
these tended
to be unstructured
decoration.
It was the Greeks,
in the four
centuries BC,
who raised the
pebble technique
to an art form,
with precise
geometric patterns
and detailed
scenes of people
and animals.
By 200 BC, specially
manufactured
pieces ("tesserae")
were being used
to give extra
detail and range
of colour to
the work. |
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Using
small tesserae, sometimes
only a few millimetres
in size, meant that
mosaics could imitate
paintings. Many of the
mosaics preserved at,
for example, Pompeii
were the work of Greek
artists.
The mosaic here shows
the god Neptune with
Amphitrite (on the right)
and is in Herculaneum,
Italy. It is a wall
mosaic which uses pieces
of glass to give the
vivid colours and reflect
light. Glass was not
suitable for floor mosaics.
Here, the tesserae |
| Roman
mosaics |
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The
expansion of the
Roman Empire took
mosaics further
afield, although
the level of skill
and artistry was
diluted. If you
compare mosaics
from Roman Britain
with Italian ones
you will notice
that the British
examples are simpler
in design and
less accomplished
in technique.
Typically Roman
subjects were
scenes celebrating
their gods, domestic
themes and geometric
designs. The inter-twined
rope border effect
here is called
"guilloche".
http://www.tunisie.com/mosaiques/ |
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| Byzantine
mosaics |
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With
the rise of
the Byzantine
Empire from
the 5th century
onwards, centred
on Byzantium
(now Istanbul,
Turkey), the
art form took
on new characteristics.
These included
Eastern influences
in style and
the use of special
glass tesserae
called smalti,
manufactured
in northern
Italy. These
were made from
thick sheets
of coloured
glass.
Smalti have
a rough surface
and contain
tiny air bubbles.
They are sometimes
backed with
reflective silver
or gold leaf.
The mosaic below
is from the
ceiling of the
baptistery in
Florence, Italy.
Other spectacular
examples can
be found in
Ravenna, Venice
and Sicily and
in Istanbul. |
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Where
as Roman mosaics
were mostly used
as floors, the
Byzantines specialised
in covering walls
and ceilings.
The smalti were
ungrouted, allowing
light to reflect
and refract within
the glass. Also,
they were set
at slight angles
to the wall, so
that they caught
the light in different
ways. The gold
tesserae sparkle
as the viewer
moves around within
the building.
Roman images were
absorbed into
the typical Christian
themes of the
Byzantine mosaics,
although some
work is decorative
and some incorporates
portraits of Emperors
and Empresses. |
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Moorish
mosaic art |
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In
the west of Europe,
the Moors brought
Islamic mosaic
and tile art into
the Iberian peninsula
in the 8th century,
while elsewhere
in the Muslim
world, stone,
glass and ceramic
were all used
in mosaics. In
contrast to the
figurative representations
in Byzantine art,
Islamic motifs
are mainly geometric
and mathematical.
Examples can be
seen in Spain
at the Great Mosque
at Cordoba and
the Alhambra Palace.
In Arabic countries
a distinctive
decorative style
called zillij
uses purpose-made
ceramic shapes
that are further
worked by hand
to allow them
to tessellate
(fit together
perfectly to cover
a surface). |
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