(Redirected from Mosaics)
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 A small part of ''The Great Pavement'', a Roman mosaic laid in AD 325 at Woodchester, Gloucestershire, England. |
 ''Cave canem'' mosaics ('Beware of the Dog') were a popular motif for the threshold of Roman villas. |
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'Mosaic' is the
art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. It may be a technique of
decorative art, an aspect of
interior decoration or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a
cathedral. Small
tiles or fragments of pottery (known as ''
tesserae'', diminutive ''tessellae'') or of
colored glass or clear glass backed with metal foils are used to create a pattern or picture.
History
Mosaics were used across the ancient world for domestic interior decoration. Mosaics of the
4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of
Aegae, and they enriched the floors of
Hellenistic villas, and
Roman dwellings from Britain to
Dura-Europas. Splendid mosaic floors distinguished luxurious Roman villas across north Africa. In Rome, Nero and his architects used mosaics to cover the surfaces of walls and ceilings in the ''
Domus Aurea'', built AD
64.
The mosaics of
Villa Romana del Casale in
Sicily are the largest collection of late Roman mosaics in the world and are protected as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. The large ''villa rustica'', which was owned by Emperor
Maximian, was largely built in the early 4th century. The mosaics were covered and protected by a landslide in the 12th century for 700 years. The most important pieces are the ''Circus Scene'', the 64 m long ''Great Hunting Scene'', the ''Little Hunt'', the ''Labours of Hercules'' and the famous ''Bikini Girls'', showing girls in modern-looking bikinis. The peristyle, the imperial apartements and the thermae were also decorated with ornametal and mythological mosaics. Other important examples of Roman mosaic art in
Sicily were unearthed on the Piazza Vittoria in
Palermo where two houses were discovered. The most important scenes here depicted ''Alexander the Great's Hunt'' and the ''Four Seasons''.
Early Christian art
With the building of Christian
basilicas in the late
4th century, wall and ceiling mosaics were adapted to Christian uses. The earliest examples, such as those of the first basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul were all destroyed, but the mosaics of
Santa Constanza and
Santa Pudenziana, both from the 4th century, survived. The winemaking putti in the ambulatory of Santa Constanza still follow the classical tradition (ie. feast of
Bacchus). The so-called
Tomb of the Julii, near the crypt beneath
St Peter's Basilica, is a fourth-century vaulted tomb with wall and ceiling mosaics that are given Christian interpretations. The former
Tomb of Galerius in
Thessaloniki, converted into a Christian church during the course of the 4th century, was embellished with very high artistic quality mosaics. Only fragments survived of the original decoration, especially a band depicting saints with hands raised in prayer, in front of complex architectural fantasies.
In the following century
Ravenna, the capital of the
Western Roman Empire, became the centre of late Roman mosaic art (see details in Ravenna section).
Milan also served as the capital of the western empire in the 4th century. In the St Aquilinus Chapel of the
Basilica of San Lorenzo mosaics executed in the late 4th-early 5th centuries, depict Christ with the Apostles and the Abduction of Elijah; these mosaics are outstanding for their bright colors, naturalism and adherence to the classical canons of order and proportion.
Albingaunum was the main Roman port of
Liguria. The octagonal baptistry of the town was decorated in the 5th century with high quality blue and white mosaics representing the Apostles. The surviving remains are fragmentary.
A beautiful mosaic pavement depicting humans, animals and plants from the original fourth-century cathedral of
Aquileia have survived in the later medieval church. This mosaic adopts pagan motifs such as the Nilotic scene but behind the traditional naturalistic content is Christian symbolism (''ichthys'', fisherman). The sixth-century early Christian basilicas of Sant' Eufemia and Santa Maria delle Grazie in
Grado also have magnificent mosaic floors.
Ravenna
In the 5th century
Ravenna, the capital of the
Western Roman Empire, became the centre of late Roman mosaic art. The
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia was decorated with mosaics of high artistic quality in 425-430. The vaults of the small, cross-shaped structure are clad with mosaics on blue background. The central motif above the crossing is a golden cross in the middle of the stary sky. Another great building established by
Galla Placidia was the
Church of San Giovanni Evangelista. She erected it in fulfillment of a vow that she made having escaped from a deadly storm in 425 on the sea voyage from Constantinople to Ravenna. The mosaics depicted the storm, portraits of members of the western and eastern imperial family and the bishop of Ravenna,
Peter Chrysologus. They are only known from Renaissance sources because they were destroyed in 1569.
Ostrogoths kept alive the tradition in the sixth century, as the mosaics of the
Arian Baptistry,
Baptistry of Neon,
Archiepiscopal Chapel, and the earlier phase mosaics in the
Basilica of San Vitale and
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo testify.
After 539 Ravenna was conquered by the
Byzantine Empire and became the seat of the
Exarchate of Ravenna. The greatest development of Christian mosaics unfolded in the second half of the 6th century. Outstanding examples of Byzantine mosaic art are the later phase mosaics in the
Basilica of San Vitale and
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. The mosaic depicting Emperor
Justinian I and
Empress Theodora in the Basilica of San Vitale were executed shortly after the Byzantine conquest. The mosaics of the
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe were made around 549. The anti-Arian theme is obvious in the apse mosaic of
San Michele in Affricisco, executed in 545-547 (largely destroyed, the remains in
Berlin).
The last example of Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna was commissioned by bishop Reparatus between 673-79 in the
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe. The mosaic panel in the apse showing the bishop with Emperor
Constantine IV is obviously an imitation of the Justinian panel in San Vitale.
Ravenna is still known world-wide as the Capital of Mosaic on account of its unique artistic heritage.
Byzantine mosaics
Mosaics were more central to Byzantine culture than to that of Western Europe. Byzantine church interiors were generally covered with golden mosaics. Mosaic art flourished in the
Byzantine Empire from the 6th to the 15th century. The majority of Byzantine mosaics were destroyed without trace during the long Christian-Muslim wars, but the surviving remains still form a beautiful collection.
The buildings of
Emperor Justinian like the
Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople and the
Nea Church in
Jerusalem were certainly embellished with great mosaics but none of these survived. Probably the earliest example of Byzantine mosaic art can be found in the
Saint Catherine's Monastery on
Mount Sinai. On the upper wall
Moses is shown in two panels on a landscape background. In the apse we can see the
Transfiguration of Jesus on a golden background. The apse is surrounded with bands containing medallions of apostles and prophets, and two contemporary figure, "Abbot Longinos" and "John the Deacon". The mosaic was probably created in 565/6.
Important fragments survived from the mosaic floor of the
Great Palace of Constantinople which was commissioned during Justinian's reign. The figures, animals, plants all are entirely classical but they are scattered before a plain background. The impressive portrait of a moustached man, probably a Gothic chieftain, is considered the most important surviving mosaic of the Justinian age. The so-called ''small sekreton'' of the palace was built during
Justin II's reign around 565-577. Some fragments survive from the mosaics of this vaulted room. The vine scroll motifs are very similar to those in the Santa Constanza and they still closely follow the Classical tradition. There are remains of floral decoration in the
Panayia Acheiropoietos Church in
Thessaloniki (5-6th centuries).
In the 6th century,
Ravenna, the capital of Byzantine Italy, became the centre of mosaic making.
Istria also boasts some important examples from this era. The
Euphrasian Basilica in
Parentium was built in the middle of the 6th century and decorated with mosaics depicting the
Theotokos flanked by angels and saints.
Interesting fragments remain from the mosaics of the
Church of Santa Maria Formosa in
Pola. These high quality pieces were made during the 6th century by artists from
Constantinople. Their pure Byzantine style is different than the contemporary Ravennate mosaics.
A pre-
Iconoclastic depiction of St. Demetrios at the Aghios Demetrios Basilica.
Very few early Byzantine mosaics survived the
Iconoclastic destruction of the 8th century. Among the rare examples are the 6th century ''Christ in majesty'' (or ''Ezekiel's Vision'') mosaic in the apse of the
Osios David Church in
Thessaloniki that was hidden behind mortar during those dangerous times. The mosaics of the
Hagios Demetrios Church, which were made between 634 and 730, also escaped destruction. Unusually almost all represent
Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki, often with suppliants before him.
In the
Iconoclastic era, figural mosaics were also condemned as idolatry. The Iconoclastic churches were embellished with plain gold mosaics with only one great cross in the apse like the
Hagia Irene in
Constantinople (after 740). There were similar crosses in the apses of the
Hagia Sophia Church in
Thessaloniki and in the
Church of the Dormition in
Nicaea. The crosses were substituted with the image of the
Theotokos in both churches after the victory of the
Iconodules (787-797 and in 8-9th centuries respectively, the Dormition church was totally destroyed in 1922).
A similar
Theotokos image flanked by two archangels were made for the
Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople in 867. The dedication inscription says: "The images which the impostors had cast down here pious emperors have again set up." In the 870s the so-called ''large sekreton'' of the
Great Palace of Constantinople was decorated with the images of the four great iconodule patriarchs.
The post-Iconoclastic era was the heyday of Byzantine art with the most beautiful mosaics executed. The mosaics of the
Macedonian Renaissance (867-1056) carefully mingled traditionalism with innovation. Constantinopolitan mosaics of this age followed the decoration scheme first used in Emperor
Basil I's
Nea Church. Not only this prototype was later totally destroyed but each surviving composition is battered so it is necessary to move from church to church to reconstruct the system.
An interesting set of Macedonian-era mosaics make up the decoration of the
Hosios Loukas Monastery. In the narthex there is the Crucifixion, the Pantokrator and the Anastasis above the doors, while in the church the Theotokos (apse), Pentecost, scenes from Christ's life and ermit St Loukas (all executed before 1048). The scenes are treated with a minimum of detail and the panels are dominated with the gold setting.
The
Nea Moni Monastery on
Chios was established by
Constantine Monomachos in 1043-1056. The exceptional mosaic decoration of the dome showing probably the nine orders of the angels was destroyed in 1822 but other panels survived (Theotokos with raised hands, four evangelists with seraphim, scenes from Christ's life and an interesting Anastasis where King Salomon bears resemblance to Constantine Monomachos). In comparison with Osios Loukas Nea Moni mosaics contain more figures, detail, landscape and setting.
The
Daphni Monastery houses the best preserved complex of mosaics from the early Comnenan period (ca. 1100) when the austere and hieratic manner typical for the
Macedonian epoch and represented by the awesome
Christ Pantocrator image inside the dome, was metamorphosing into a more intimate and delicate style, of which ''The Angel before St Joachim'' — with its pastoral backdrop, harmonious gestures and pensive lyricism — is considered a superb example.
The 9th and 10th century mosaics of the
Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople are truly classical Byzantine artworks. The north and south tympana beneath the dome was decorated with figures of prophets, saints and patriarchs. Above the principal door from the narthex we can see an ''Emperor kneeling before Christ'' (late 9th or early 10th century). Above the door from the soutwest vestibule to the narthex another mosaic shows the ''Theotokos with Iustinian and Constantine''.
Iustinian is offering the model of the church to Mary while
Constantine is helding the model of the city in his hand. Both emperors are beardless - this is an example for conscious archaization as contemporary Byzantine rulers were bearded. A mosaic panel on the gallery shows ''Christ with
Constantine Monomachos and
Empress Zoe'' (1042-1055). The emperor gives a bulging money sack to Christ offering a donation for the church.
The dome of the
Hagia Sophia Church in
Thessaloniki is decorated with an ''Ascension'' mosaic (c. 885). The composition resembles the great baptistries in
Ravenna, with apostles standing between palms and Christ in the middle. The scheme is somewhat unusual as the standard post-Iconoclastic formula for domes contained only the image of the
Pantokrator.
There are very few existing mosaics from the
Komnenian period but this paucity must be due to accidents of survival and gives a misleading impression. The only surviving 12th century mosaic work in
Constantinople is a panel in
Hagia Sophia depicting Emperor
John II and Empress
Eirene with the
Theotokos (1122-34). The empress with her long braided hair and rosy cheeks is especially capturing. It must be a life-like portrayal because Eirene was really a redhead as her original Hungarian name, ''Piroska'' shows. The adjacent portrait of Emperor
Alexios I Komnenos on a pier (from 1122) is similarly personal. The imperial mausoleum of the
Komnenos dynasty, the
Pantokrator Monastery was certainly decorated with great mosaics but these were later destroyed. The lack of Komnenian mosaics outside the capital is even more apparent. There is only a "Communion of the Apostles" in the apse of the cathedral of
Serres.
A striking technical innovation of the Komnenian period was the production of very precious, miniature mosaic icons. In these icons the small tesserae (with sides of 1 mm or less) were set on wax or resin on a wooden panel. These products of extraordinary craftmanship were intended for private devotion. The
Louvre Transfiguration is a very fine example from the late 12th century. The miniature mosaic of Christ in the Museo Nazionale at
Florence illustrates the more gentle, humanistic conception of Christ which appeared in the 12th century.
The sack of Constantinople in 1204 caused the decline of mosaic art for the next five decades. After the reconquest of the city by
Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261 the Hagia Sophia was restored and a beautiful new
Deesis was made on the south galery. This huge mosaic panel with figures two and a half times lifesize is really overwhelming due to its grand scale and superlative craftmanship. The
Hagia Sophia Deesis is probably the most famous Byzantine mosaic in Constantinople.
The
Pammakaristos Monastery was restored by
Michael Glabas, an imperial official, in the late 13th century. Only the mosaic decoration of small burial chapel (''Parekklesion'') of Glabas survived. This domed chapel was built by his widow, Martha around 1304-08. In the miniature dome the traditional Pantokrator can be seen with twelve prophets beneath. Unusually the apse is decorated with a
Deesis, probably due to the funerary function of the chapel.
The
Church of the Holy Apostles in
Thessaloniki was built in 1310-14. Although some vandal systematically removed the gold tesserae of the background it can be seen that the Pantokrator and the prophets in the dome follow the traditional Byzantine pattern. Many details are similar to the Pammakaristos mosaics so it is supposed that the same team of mosaicists worked in both buildings. Another building with a related mosaic decoration is the
Theotokos Paregoritissa Church in
Arta. The church was established by the Despot of
Epirus in 1294-96. In the dome is the traditional stern Pantokrator, with prophets and cherubim below.
The greatest mosaic work of the
Palaiologian Renessaince is the decoration of the
Chora Church in
Constantinople. Although the mosaics of the naos have not survived except three panels, the decoration of the exonarthex and the esonarthex constitute the most important full-scale mosaic cycle in Constantinople after the Hagia Sophia. They were executed around 1320 by the command of
Theodore Metochites. The esonarthex has two fluted domes, specially created to provide the ideal setting for the mosaic images of the ancestors of Christ. The southern one is called the Dome of the Pantokrator while the northern one is the Dome of the Theotokos. The most important panel of the esonarthex depicts Theodor Metochites wearing a huge
turban, offering the model of the church to Christ. The walls of both narthexes are decorated with mosaic cycles from the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ. These panels show the influence of the Italian
trecento on Byzantine art especially the more natural settings, landscapes, figures.
The last Byzantine mosaic work was created for the
Hagia Sophia,
Constantinople in the middle of the 14th century. The great eastern arch of the cathedral collapsed in 1346, bringing down the third of the main dome. By 1355 not only the big Pantokrator image was restored but new mosaics were set on the eastern arch depicting the Theotokos, the Baptist and Emperor
John V Palaiologos (discovered only in 1989).
Medieval Rome
Christian mosaic art also flourished in Late Antique and medieval
Rome. Fifth century mosaics can be found over the triumphal arch and in the nave of the basilica of
Santa Maria Maggiore. The 27 surviving panels of the nave are the most important mosaic cycle in Rome of this period. Two other important 5th century mosaics are lost but we know them from 17th century drawings. In the apse mosaic of
Sant'Agata dei Goti (462-472, destroyed in 1589) Christ was seated on a globe with the twelve Apostles flanking him, six on either side. At
Sant'Andrea in Catabarbara (468-483, destroyed in 1686) Christ appeared in the center, flanked on either side by three Apostles. Four streams flowed from the little mountain supporting Christ. The original 5th century apse mosaic of the
Santa Sabina was replaced by a very similar fresco by
Taddeo Zuccaro in 1559. The composition probably remained unchanged: Christ flanked by male and female saints, seated on a hill while lambs drinking from a stream at its feet. All three mosaics had a similar iconography.
6th century pieces are rare in Rome but the mosaics inside the triumphal arch of the basilica of
San Lorenzo fuori le mura. The ''Chapel of Ss. Primo e Feliciano'' in
Santo Stefano Rotondo has very interesting and rare mosaics from the 7th century. This chapel was built by
Pope Theodore I as a family burial place.
In the 7-9th centuries Rome fell under the influence of Byzantine art, noticeable on the mosaics of
Santa Prassede,
Santa Maria in Domnica,
Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura,
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere,
Santi Nereo e Achilleo and the San Venanzio chapel of
San Giovanni in Laterano. The great dining hall of
Pope Leo III in the
Lateran Palace was also decorated with mosaics. They were all destroyed later except for one example, the so-called
Triclinio Leoniano of which a copy was made in the 18th century. Another great work of Pope Leo, the apse mosaic of
Santa Susanna, depicted Christ with the Pope and
Charlemagne on one side, and SS. Susanna and Felicity on the other. It was plastered over during a renovation in 1585.
The fragment of an eighth-century mosaic, the
Epiphany is one of the very rare remaining pieces of the medieval decoration of
Old St. Peter's Basilica, demolished in the late 16th century. The precious fragment is kept in the sacristy of
Santa Maria in Cosmedin. It proves the high artistic quality of the destroyed St. Peter's mosaics.
The last great period of Roman mosaic art was the 12-13th century when
Rome developed its own distinctive artistic style, free from the strict rules of eastern tradition and with a more realistic portrayal of figures in the space. Well-known works of this period are the floral mosaics of the
Basilica di San Clemente, the façade of
Santa Maria in Trastevere and
San Paolo fuori le Mura. The beautiful apse mosaic of Santa Maria in Trastevere (1140) depicts Christ and Mary sitting next to each other on the heavenly throne, the first example of this iconographic scheme. A similar mosaic, Christ coronating Mary, decorates the apse of
Santa Maria Maggiore. It is a work of
Jacopo Torriti from 1295. The mosaics of Torriti and
Jacopo da Camerino in the apse of
San Giovanni in Laterano from 1288-94 were thoroughly restored in 1884. The apse mosaic of
San Crisogono is attributed to
Pietro Cavallini, the greatest Roman painter of the 13th century. Six scenes from the life of Mary in Santa Maria in Trastevere were also executed by Cavallini in 1290. These mosaics are praised for their realistic portrayal and attempts of perspective. There is an interesting mosaic medaillon from 1210 above the gate of the church of
San Tommaso in Formis showing Christ enthroned between a white and a black slave. The church belonged to the Order of the
Trinitarians which was devoted to ransoming Christian slaves.
The great
Navicella mosaic (1305-1313) in the atrium of the Old St. Peter's is attributed to
Giotto di Bondone. The giant mosaic, commissioned by Cardinal
Jacopo Stefaneschi, was originally situated on the eastern porch of the old basilica and occupied the whole wall above the entrance arcade facing the courtyard. It depicted St. Peter walking on the waters. This extraordinary work was mainly destroyed during the construction of the new St. Peter's in the 17th century. Navicella means "little ship" referring to the large boat which dominated the scene, and whose sail, filled by the storm, loomed over the horizon. Such a natural representation of a seascape was known only from ancient works of art.
Sicily
The heyday of mosaic making in
Sicily was the age of the independent
Norman kingdom in the 12th century. The Norman kings adopted the Byzantine tradition of mosaic decoration to enhance the somewhat dubious legality of their rule. Greek masters working in Sicily developed their own style, that shows the influence of Western European and Islam artistic tendencies. Best examples of Sicilian mosaic art are the
Cappella Palatina of
Roger II, the
Martorana church in
Palermo and the cathedrals of
Cefalù and
Monreale.
The Cappella Palatina clearly shows evidence for blending the eastern and western styles. The dome (1142-42) and the eastern end of the church (1143-1154) were decorated with typical Byzantine mosaics ie. Pantokrator, angels, scenes from the life of Christ. Even the inscriptions are written in Greek. The narrative scenes of the nave (Old Testament, life of Sts Peter and Paul) are resembling to the mosaics of the Old St. Peter's and St. Paul's Basilica in
Rome (Latin inscriptions, 1154-66).
The Martorana church (decorated around 1143) looked originally even more Byzantine although important parts were later demolished. The dome mosaic is very similar to that of the Cappella Palatina with Christ enthroned in the middle and four bowed, elongated angels. The Greek incsriptions, decorative patterns, the evangelists in the squinches are obviously executed by the same Greek masters who worked on Capella Palatina. The mosaic depicting Roger II of Sicily, dressed in Byzantine imperial robes, receiving the crown by Christ was originally in the demolished narthex together with another panel, the Theotokos with Georgios of Antiochia, the founder of the church.
In
Cefalù (1148) only the high, French Gothic presbytery was covered with mosaics: the Pantokrator on the semidome of the apse and cherubim on the vault. On the walls we can see Latin and Greek saints, with Greek inscriptions.
The
Monreale mosaics constitute the largest decoration of this kind in Italy, covering 0,75 hectares with at least 100 million glass and stone tesserae. This huge work was executed between 1176 and 1186 by the order of King
William II of Sicily. The iconography of the mosaics in the presbytery is similar to Cefalu while the pictures in the nave are almost the same as the narrative scenes in the Cappella Palatina. The Martorana mosaic of Roger II blessed by Christ was repeated with the figure of King William II instead of his predecessor. Another panel shows the king offering the model of the cathedral to the Theotokos.
The
Cathedral of Palermo, rebuilt by Archbishop Walter in the same time (1172-85), was also decorated with mosaics but none of these survived except the 12th century image of ''Madonna del Tocco'' above the western portal.
The cathedral of
Messina, consecrated in 1197, was also decorated with a great mosaic cycle, originally on par with Cefalù and Monreale, but heavily damaged and restored many times later. In the left apse of the same cathedral 14th century mosaics survived, representing the Madonna and Child between Saints Agata and Lucy, the Archangels Gabriel and Michael and Queens Eleonora and Elisabetta.
Southern Italy was also part of the Norman kingdom but great mosaics did not survive in this area except the fine mosaic pavement of the
Otranto cathedral from 1166, with mosaics tied into a tree of life, mostly still preserved. The scenes depict biblical characters, warrior kings, medieval beasts, allegories of the months and working activity.
The palaces of the Norman kings were decorated with mosaics depicting animals and landscapes. The secular mosaics are seemingly more Eastern in character than the great religious cycles and show a strong Persian influence. The most notable examples are the ''Sala di Ruggero'' in the
Palazzo dei Normanni,
Palermo and the ''Sala della Fontana'' in the
Zisa summer palace, both from the 12th century.
Medieval Italy
Baptistery, Florence
In parts of
Italy, which were under eastern artistic influences, like
Sicily and
Venice, mosaic making never went out of fashion in the Middle Ages. The whole interior of the
St Mark's Basilica in Venice is clad with elaborate, golden mosaics. The oldest scenes were executed by Greek masters in the late 11th century but the majority of the mosaics are works of local artists from the 12-13th centuries. The decoration of the church was finished only in the 16th century. One hundred and ten scenes of mosaics in the atrium of St Mark's were based directly on the miniatures of the
Cotton Genesis, a Byzantine manuscript that was brought to Venice after the sack of Constantinople (1204). The mosaics were executed in the 1220s. Other important Venetian mosaics can be found in the
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in
Torcello from the 12th century, and in the Basilical of Santi Maria e Donato in
Murano with a restored apse mosaic from the 12th century and a beautiful mosaic pavement (1140).
Trieste was also an important centre of mosaic art. The mosaics in the apse of the
Cathedral of San Giusto were laid by master craftsmen from
Veneto in the 12-13th centuries.
The monastery of
Grottaferrata founded by Greek
Basilian monks and consecrated by the Pope in 1024 was decorated with Italo-Byzantine mosaics, some of which survived in the narthex and the interior. The mosaics on the triumphal arch portray the Twelve Apostles sitting beside an empty throne, evoking Christ's ascent to Heaven. It is a Byzantine work of the 12th century. There is a beautiful 11th century Deesis above the main portal.
The Abbot of
Monte Cassino,
Desiderius sent envoys to
Constantinople some time after 1066 to hire expert Byzantine mosaicists for the decoration of the rebuilt abbey church. According to chronicler
Leo of Ostia the Greek artists decorated the apse, the arch and the vestibule of the basilica. Their work was admired by contemporaries but was totally destroyed in later centuries except two fragments depicting greyhounds (now in the Monte Cassino Museum). "The abbot in his wisdom decided that great number of young monks in the monastery should be thoroughly initiated in these arts" - says the chronicler about the role of the Greeks in the revival of mosaic art in medieval Italy.
In
Florence a magnificiant mosaic of the
Last Judgement decorates the dome of the
Battistero. The earliest mosaics, works of art of many unknown Venetian craftsmen (including probably
Cimabue), date from 1225. The covering of the ceiling was probably not completed until the 14th century.
The impressive mosaic of Christ in Majesty, flanked by the Blessed Virgin and St. John the Evangelist in the apse of the
cathedral of Pisa was designed by
Cimabue in 1302. It evokes the Monreale mosaics in style. It survived the great fire of 1595 which destroyed most of the mediveval interior decoration.
Sometimes not only church interiors but façades were also decorated with mosaics in Italy like in the case of the
St Mark's Basilica in Venice (mainly from the 17-19th centuries, but the oldest one from 1270-75, "The burial of St Mark in the first basilica"), the
Cathedral of Orvieto (golden Gothic mosaics from the 14th century, many times redone) and the
Basilica di San Frediano in
Lucca (huge, striking golden mosaic representing the Ascension of Christ with the apostles below, designed by
Berlinghiero Berlinghieri in the 13th century).
Western and Central Europe
Beyond the
Alpes the first important example of mosaic art was the decoration of the
Palatine Chapel in Aachen, commissioned by
Charlemagne. It was completely destroyed in a fire in 1650. A rare example of surviving Karolingian mosaics is the apsis decoration of the oratory of
Germigny-des-Prés built in 805-806 by
Theodulf,
bishop of Orléans, a leading figure of
Carolingian renaissance. This unique work of art, rediscovered only in the 19th century, had no followers.
Later fresco replaced the more labor-intensive technique of mosaic in Western-Europe, although mosaics were sometimes used as decoration on medieval cathedrals. The Royal Basilica of the Hungarian kings in
Székesfehérvár (Alba Regia) had a mosaic decoration in the apse. It was probably a work of Venetian or Ravennese craftsmen, executed in the first decades of the 11th century. The mosaic was almost totally destroyed together with the basilica in the 17th century. The Golden Gate of the
St. Vitus Cathedral in
Prague got its name from the golden 14th century mosaic of the
Last Judgement above the portal. It was executed by Venetian craftsmen.
In 2003 remains of a mosaic pavement were discovered under the ruins of the
Bizere Monastery near the River
Mureş in present-day
Romania. The panels, beautifully crafted, are depicting real or fantastic animal, floral, solar and geometric representations. Some archeologists supposed that it was the floor of an Orthodox church, built some time between the 10th and 11th century. Other experts claim that it was part of the later Catholic monastery on the site because it shows the signs of strong Italianate influence. The monastery was situated that time in the territory of the
Kingdom of Hungary.
Renaissance and Baroque
Saint Peter's Basilica
Although mosaics went out of fashion and were substituted by frescoes that time, some of the great Renaissance artists also worked with the old technique.
Raffaello's
Creation of the World in the dome of the
Chigi Chapel in
Santa Maria del Popolo is a notable example that was executed by a Venetian craftsman, Luigi di Pace.
In the 17th century, the papacy established a ''Fabbrica'' to embellish the then new and cavernous
St. Peter's Basilica with mosaics. There are few frescoes or canvases in the cavernous Basilica. Among the explanations are:
:1) The old St. Peter's basilica had been decorated with mosaic, as was common in churches built during the Byzantine domination; the seventeenth century only followed the tradition to enhance continuity.
:2) In a temple like this with high walls and few windows, mosaics were brighter and reflected more light.
:3) Mosaics had greater intrinsic longevity than either frescoes or canvases.
The mosaics of St. Peter's often show lively
Baroque compositions based on designs or canvases from like
Ciro Ferri,
Guido Reni,
Domenichino,
Carlo Maratta, and many others.
Raphael is represented by a mosaic replica of this last painting, the
Transfiguration. Many of these mosaics were completed by the
Pier Paolo Cristofari. Often works of the Fabbrica were used as papal gifts.
Eastern Orthodox countries
The craft has also been popular in the
Eastern Orthodox countries and Russia, inherited as part of the Byzantine tradition.
Yaroslav, the Grand Prince of the
Kievan Rus' built a large cathedral in his capital,
Kiev. The model of the church was the
Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople, and it was also called
Saint Sophia Cathedral. It was built mainly by Byzantine master craftsmen, sent by
Constantine Monomachos, between 1037 and 1046. Naturally the more important surfaces in the interior were decorated with golden mosaics. In the dome we can see the traditional stern
Pantokrator supported by angels. Between the 12 windows of the drum were apostles and the four evangelists on the pendentives. The apse is dominated by an orant
Theotokos with a
Deesis in three medallions above. Below is a Communion of the Apostles.
Prince
Sviatopolk II built
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in
Kiev in 1108. The mosaics of the church are undoubtedly works of Byzantine artists. Although the church was destroyed by Soviet authorities, majority of the panels were preserved. Small parts of ornamental mosaic decoration from the 12th century survived in the
Saint Sophia Cathedral in
Novgorod but this church was largely decorated with frescoes.
Mosaics stopped being used for church decoration as early as the 12th century in the eastern Slavic countries. Later Russian churches were decorated with frescoes, similarly than orthodox churches in the Balkan.
The apse mosaic of the
Gelati Monastery in
Georgia from c. 1130 is probably the work of Byzantine mosaicist invited by King
Demetre I. The fragmentary panel depicting the Theotokos flanked by two archangels looks thoroughly Byzantine (with Greek inscriptions).
Modern mosaic of a Picasso painting in San Francisco, California.
Islamic art
Islamic architecture used mosaic technique in intricate geometric designs. The process is known as
zillij in
North Africa and
qashani further east. Some of the best examples of Islamic mosaics were produced in
Moorish Spain and are still visible at the
Alhambra.
Modern mosaics
Modern Mosaic Cabinet
A modern example of mosaic is the
Museum of Natural History station of the
New York Subway.
Some spectacular modern mosaics are the work of ''
modernisme'' style architects
Antoni Gaudí and
Josep Maria Jujol, for example the unique mosaics in the
Park Güell in
Barcelona.
Example of Opus Palladianum
Mosaic Terminology
Mosaic is an ancient and contemporary art form which uses individual pieces of materials placed together to create a unified whole. The materials commonly used are glass, ceramic, marble, pebble, mirror, shells and china.
The term for each piece of material is
Tessera (plural: ''tesserae'').
The term for the spaces in between where the grout goes is the
Interstices.
Andamento is the word used to describe the movement and flow of
Tesserae.
The 'opus', the Latin for ‘work’, is the way in which the pieces are cut and placed varies and is known.
★
Opus Tessellatum: Tesserae laid in regular straight lines like bricks.
★
Opus Regulatum: Vertical and horizontal lines in regular grid.
★
Opus Vermiculatum: Flowing lines of tesserae wriggling over the surface.
★
Opus Musivum: Vermiculatum used totally over image and background.
★
Opus Palladianum: Irregular fitting shapes like crazy paving.
Mosaic Design
How To
Rough drawing of town crest on wall, projected in charcoal onto board.
★ Drawing: A very basic line drawing is all that is required. Enlarge or reduce images with a
Photocopier, cut out and draw round them or create a
collage to copy. Part of the beauty of mosaic is the material used, so the materials help make decisions about design.
★ Contrast: This is the key to creating a strong piece of work; between image and background, border and central image, within images and patterns to create fine definitions and strong outlines. Check the following points on contrast:
★ Size: Large enough to give impact and small enough to give detail
★ Color: Areas of strong definite color against each other give strength to the design; shades of one color give vibrational quality and depth
★ Texture: Create textures by combining different quality materials. For example, put matte and glazed ceramic together to create tones of a color or reconstruct the patterning on broken china to create interest.
★ Technical consideration: The choice of tesserae will depend on the project. Outdoors, be sure to use weather resistant tiles and cements.
Mosaic Materials
★ Board: Use plywood preferably 5 ply (five layers) minimum thickness 9mm. Ensure that it is WPB quality – waterproof board.
★ Glue: Waterproof Unibond glue.
★
Tesserae: If the mosaic is for indoors use any of the ceramic and glass materials. If outdoors ensure that the materials are frost resistant. Regular ceramic bathroom and kitchen tiles are NOT frost resistant.
★ Tile adhesives and grouts
★ Soak tiles off sheets: Use warm water and paper will come away in about 10 minutes. Make sure to rinse the tiles thoroughly to take off excess glue. Lay on a towel to dry.
★ When using mirror: Remember to use mirror glue from a glass shop. Other glues over time eat the foil back away and reveal black marks.
★
Cement-based tile adhesive.
Mosaic technique
There are three main methods: the direct method, the indirect method and the double indirect method.
Direct method
The direct method of mosaic construction involves directly placing (gluing) the individual
tesserae onto the supporting surface. This method is well suited to surfaces that have a three-dimensional quality, such as vases.
The direct method suits small projects that are transportable. Another advantage of the direct method is that the resulting mosaic is progressively visible, allowing for any adjustments to tile colors placement.
The disadvantage of the direct method is that the artist must work directly at the chosen surface, which is often not practical for long periods of time. It is unsuitable for large scale projects. Also, it is difficult to control the evenness of the finished surface. This is of particular importance when creating a functional surface such as a floor or a table top.
A modern version of the direct method, sometimes called "Double Direct," is to work directly onto fiberglass mesh. The mosaic can then be constructed with the design visible on the surface and transported to its final location. Large work can be done in this way, with the mosaic being cut up for shipping and then reassembled for installation. It enables the artist to work in comfort in a studio rather than at the site of installation.
Indirect method
The indirect method of applying tesserae is often used for very large projects, projects with repetitive elements or for areas needing site specific shapes. Tiles are applied face-down to a backing paper using an adhesive, and later transferred onto walls, floors or craft projects. This method is most useful for extremely large projects as it gives the maker time to rework areas. Mosaic Murals, Benches even tabletops are some of the items usually made using the indirect method, as it results in a smoother and more even surface.
Double indirect method
The double indirect method can be used when it is important to see the work during the creation process as it will appear when completed. The tesserae are placed face-up on a medium (often adhesive-backed paper or sticky plastic) as it will appear when installed. When the mosaic is complete, a similar medium is placed atop it. The piece is then turned over, the original underlaying material is removed, and the piece is installed as in the indirect method described above.
In comparison to the indirect method this is a fussy system to use and will only damage the artwork, as a rule try to move your uninstalled artwork as little as possible. If there is a great need for a 'true' view of the tile then a digital photo should be taken and reversed on a pc or Mac.
Mathematics
The best way to arrange variously shaped tiles on a surface can lead to complicated mathematical problems - see
tessellation for details.
Roger Penrose is a mathematician who has worked with tiling problems - see
Penrose tilings.
The artist
M.C. Escher was influenced by Moorish mosaics to begin his investigations into
tessellation.
Digital imaging
A mosaic in
digital imaging is a plurality of non-overlapping images, arranged in some
tessellation. A
photomosaic is a picture made up of various other pictures (pioneered by Joseph Francis), in which each "
pixel" is actually another picture, when examined closely.
A tile mosaic is a
digital image made up of individual
tiles, arranged in a non-overlapping fashion, e.g. to make a static image on a shower room or bathing pool floor, by breaking the image down into square pixels formed from ceramic tiles (a typical size is 1 inch by 1 inch, as for example, on the floor of the
University of Toronto pool, though sometimes larger tiles such as 2 by 2 inch are used). These digital images are coarse in resolution and often simply express text, such as the depth of the pool in various places, but some such digital images are used to show a sunset or other beach theme. Obviously digital images expressed in ceramic tile are of very low resolution.
Thus apart from the artistic value (i.e. the work of Robert Silvers,
Ed Chapman and others who use mosaicing creatively), the mosaicing is usually considered an
artifact to be filtered out, through
interpolation by
demosaicing.
See also
★
Micro mosaic
★
Glass tiles
★
Paint by number
★
Stained glass
★
Tesserae
★
Photographic mosaic
★
Paper mosaic
References
★
Early Christian and Byzantine art, , John, Lowden, Phaidon, , (for the section of Byzantium and Sicily)
Other Mosaic Books
★ The Art of Mosaic - The Encyclopaedia of Projects, Techniques and Designs Sarah Kelly ''Search Press''
★ Mosaic Techniques and Traditions Sonia King '' Sterling Publishing Co''
★ The Art of Mosaic Design JoAnn Locktov & Leslie Plummer Clagett '' Quarry Books''
★ The Art of Mosaic Caroline Suter & Celia Gregory ''Anness Publishing Limited''
★ The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook Maggy Howarth Frances Lincoln
★ Ravenna- Art & History Giuseppe Bovini ''Longo Publisher''
★ Ancient Mosaics Roger Ling ''British Museum Press''
★ Mosaics – Inspiration & 24 Original Projects Kaffe Fassett & Candace Bahouth ''Ebury Press''
★ Decorative Mosaics Elaine M. Goodwin ''Letts Contemporary Crafts''
★ The Mosaic Book Peggy Vance & Celia Goodrick-Clarke ''Conran Octopus''
★ Making Mosaics- Design, Techniques & Projects LeslieDierks '' Sterling/Lark''
★ Antonio Gaudi-Master Architect Juan Bassegoda Nonell '' Abbeville Press''
★ Stylish & simple Mosaic Emma Biggs & Tessa Hunkin ''Aurim''
★ The Los Angeles Watts Towers Goldstone & Goldstone ''Thames & Hudson''
External links
★
Society of American Mosaic Artists
★
British Association for Modern Mosaic
★
Mosaic Art Source Photo Blog
★
Mosaic Art Glossary - Terms, Definitions & Images
★
Mosaikashop - Mosaic School in Montreal, Canada
★
Mosaic Art School - The Traditional Techniques - Since 1969, Ravenna, Italy
★
The Mosaics Resource
★
Ceramica Global - International ceramic portal
★
Mosaic Madness - Art Gallery & Mosaic art school in Sydney - Australia
★
Manzella Mosaics - Modern Mosaics Art Gallery
★
Mosaic Design Tutorial, Inspired Mosaics
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