What are mosaics?
Mosaics are patterns or pictures produced with closely-set small pieces of stone, mineral, glass, tile or shell. In their earliest forms they were often used in a religious connection. The most primitive examples come from New Guinea – trophy skulls and masks covered with row of small shells.
In ancient Greece mosaic floors were first made of peebles. Later small cubes of stone and pieces of glass were introduced. Mosaic floors were discovered in the Roman ruins and Pompeii, destroyed in A.D. 79, and others have been found in all lands which formed part of the Roman Empire in which mosaic work was highly popular.
The next great stage was the development of Christian wall mosaics. A light but firm mortar was introduced and an increasing use was made of gold cubes and brilliantly coloured glass.
The Byzantines of the 11th and 12th Centuries brought the are of mosaic to its full flower. These mosaics are of unparalleled magnificence – a wholly successful attempt to show divinity in human form. Monumental figures are placed against a golden background and can be seen today in churches like that of Daphne near Athens.
After the fall of Byzantine empire the Venetians carried on the craft into Renaissance and modern times.
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