Tag Archives: Byzantine

the mosaic mystique

 

Mosaic garden planters Obbligato Decor

Mosaic garden pots – Obbligato Decor

Mosaic art could be regarded  as the original display of pixel like imagery and it was really prophetic for what was to come in the digital age of image creation. The innate texture in mosaic art added to its dimensionality and despite its painstaking application, it has been  favoured in the creation of some truly amazing works of art.

Evidence of the first glazed tiles date back to 1500 BC from excavations at Susa and Chogha Zanbil in Iran. Around 400BC the Greeks elevated Mosaic’s to an art form when they began using small manufactured pieces made from marble, glass, terracotta and stone (“tesserae” ) that could be manipulated into artworks. Many of the dwellings of the rich at this time displayed mosaic floors of elaborate designs. During the next century Greek mosaicists became more ambitious and used more colours and detail.

 

Roman Mosaic Floor Jewry Wall Museum

Roman Mosaic at the Jewry Wall Museum

The Romans carried mosaic  art further afield and soon, throughout the empire, rich villas with  impressive mosaic floors were created. Typically,  mosaic scenes depicted Roman subjects celebrating their gods along with  domestic themes, animals and geometric designs.  The expansion of the art-form occurred with  the use of it by Christians to decorate the walls of churches rather than the floor.

Fragment of a floor mosaic with a personification of Ktisis- ggnyc,flickr

From the 5th century onwards, with the rise of the Byzantine Empire , the art form took on new characteristics. These included the introduction of Eastern influences in style and the use of special glass tesserae called smalti, which were 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.

This lead to further expansion into the Moorish art of  Spain  and into the Muslim world around the Eighth Century. From the Great Mosque at Cordoba to the Basilica of Saint Mark in  Venice to Westminster Cathedral,  mosaic art proliferated.

St. Pauls Cathedral mosaicSt. Pauls Cathedral mosaic art

The above two  mosaic’s are from St. Pauls Cathedral, London

 

 

Buddhist mosaic art Bangkok, Thailand

” ‘Wat Ratchabopit”’ Bangkok, Thailand

 

 

Byzantine mosaic crown

Byzantine mosaic crown, Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

 

Mosaic Mandala bowl

Mandala Mosaic Bowl – Bricolore

 

 

Contemporary Design-from-mosaicworks

Contemporary design from mosaicworks

 

 

Dragonfly Mosaic Bowl - cindylaneville.com

Mosaic Bowl – cindylaneville.com

 

 

Mosaic ceiling at the Royal Ontario Museum

Mosaic ceiling at the Royal Ontario Museum

 

 

mosaic Wall Decor- Red Crow Arts

“Two Fish One Heart‘”  Wall Decor- Red Crow Arts

 

 

Tiffany glass meramid mosaïc is a 2008 work by Anne Bedel.

Mermaid Sirene – Tiffany glass mosaïc  by Anne Bedel.

2008

Kimberly Schonfeld mosaic sculpture

Kimberly Schonfeld sculptural mosaic

 

 

Mosaic Bowl - Cindy Laneville - Ontario, Canada

Mosaic Bowl – Cindy Laneville

Cindylaneville .com

 

 

Victor Nunnally mosaic eagle

‘Eagle in flight’Victor Nunnally

 

 

Mosaic Bowl – Haima Design

 

 

Large Mosaic Clad Planter - Obbligato Decor

Mosaic Clad Planter – Obbligato Decor

 

 

Victor Nunnally Mosaic

Victor Nunnally Mosaic-stained glass mosaic table top: ‘Table Of Prosperity’

 

 

Mosaic Bowl - thecuriousgecko

” Sunny Day ” Mosaic Bowl-thecuriousgecko

 

 

Mosaic adaption of  Gustav Klimt’s les amies

 

 

Nightwatch-Mosaic-Eggshell lady under a full moon at the ocean Linda Biggers

‘Nightwatch’-Mosaic Eggshell mosaic art – Linda Biggers

 

 

Mosaic wall panel Serenade - Irinia Charny

‘Serenade’ – Irinia Charny

 

 

Moscow mayakovskaya station ceiling mosaic

Mayakovskaya Station, Moscow, Ceiling Mosaic – Deineka

 

 

St. Mark's Basilica Mosaic - Venice, Italy

St. Mark’s Basilica Mosaic Facade

 

 

 

mosaic garden meditation bench

Garden Meditation Mosaic BenchAltered Universe-contemporary mosaic by Lois McKay

Altered Universe-contemporary mosaic by Lois McKay

 

 

Abstract Mosaic Vase - Irinia Charny

Abstract Vase – Irinia Charny

 

 

mosaic stairway in San Francisco

This stairway of 163 steps is located in San Francisco, at Moraga St. and 16th Avenue. Artists Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher.

 

 

Mosaic Garden Ball Lizard

Ceramic Mosaic Garden Ball Lizard

 

 

Vintage French Mosaic Vase

Vintage French Mosaic Vase

See more at French Art Pottery

 

 

Moroccan mosaic table and lamp

Mosaic table and lamp, Marrakesh

 

 

Russian Tvoryuki Mosaic artBlus Bird – Tvoryuki Mosaic

 

 

mosaic mandala

Impressive mosaic mandala

 

 

Olicana Mosaics garden courtyard motif

Olicana Mosaics

 

 

Chelsea Flower Show Mosaic peacock path

Chelsea Flower Show  -Victorian Aviary Garden

Smalti-Landscape-Mosaic-by-George-Fishman

‘Seascape Mosaic’ by George Fishman

 

 

Modern-Mosaic-ArtJordi-Labanda-for-SICIS Italian

Modern Mosaic Art – Jordi Labanda for SICIS

 

 

 

Mosaic-art-by-Russian-artist-Irina-Charny--Female-Cellist

Female Red Cello Player mosiac – Irinia Charny

 

 

 

Mosaic-of-the-Battle-of-Issus-from-the-House-of-the-Faun-in-Pompeii-1st-century

Mosaic of the Battle of Issus from the House of the Faun in Pompeii 1st century

 

 

 

'Mother and Child' (The Three Ages of Woman 1905) by Emerald Dragon (Kathleen), via Flickr

‘Mother and Chid’ (The Three Ages of Woman 1905) by Emerald Dragon (Kathleen), via Flickr

 

 

 

Carole-Choucair-Oueijan-Mosaics head mosaic

Carole Choucair Oueijan

 

 

 

Pictures of MosaicMosaic Burning Fall

Mosaic picture ‘Burning Autumn’

artmonument.ru

 

 

 

beautiful-mosaic-of-a-barn-owl-by-Nancy-Bunker-from-Redford-Glass-Studio

Mosaic of a barn owl – Nancy Bunker

Redford Glass Studio

 

 

cbmosaics---Christine-Brallier blue mosaic cat

Christine Brallier

 

 

 

Botanical-mosaics,-Dupont-Station,-Toronto,-Ontario,-Canada

Public botanical mosaic – Dupont Station, Toronto

James Sutherland designed the mosaics, entitled  – ‘Spadina Summer Under All Seasons’

 

 

Lubets-eggshell mosaic pink lotus

Pink lotus eggshell mosaic – Lubets

 

 

Under-water-mermaid-and-fish-panel, art nouveau style Sue Thompson

Under water mermaid and fish mosaic panel – Sue Thompson

 

 

Zentangle mosaic -By-Rikke-Poulsen

Zentangle  Rikke Poulson

 

 

universal-law-mosaic-art-mandala-Brett-Campbell

Universal Law mosaic – Brett Campbell

 

 

See another veniceclayartists article on mosaics here