Here at Sadigh Gallery we carry artifacts from various
cultures, sizes varying from micro-sized beads to large basalt statues. Among
these antiquities, ancient mosaic panels are the examples of the most
decorative artifacts for they remain in great
vibrancy of color due to their great durability. Mosaic panels we carry are from ancient
Rome. When you visit Sadigh Gallery
Ancient Art, Inc., you are welcomed to observe these Roman panels closely, and
even touch them. By looking at these
artworks, one can imagine the artists’ great time and patience for covering
floor spaces in both durable and well-designed way.
Here is a brief history of ancient
mosaic art:
Mosaic is a form of decorated art, an aspect of interior
decoration or of a cultural significance as a cathedral in which small pieces
of colored material were used to create a pattern or a picture. Significantly used in Roman Dwellings but was
used in ancient times for domestic interior decoration.
The art for was not born in a particular time or place and
therefore requires an understanding of the civilization. Mosaics appeared sporadically in different
cultures and locations not connected with the others. The beginnings are difficult to identify but
historians believe that the art form originated somewhere in the Orient.
Two thousand years BC, the first manifestations were in
Chaldean architecture where some columns were covered with mosaics, small cones
of clay were embedded in the structure and painted.
Mosaics were drawn by an artist and passed on to an artisan
who would make the tesserae (individual pieces) for the mosaic. Broken pottery
and stone based materials made the colors of the mosaic most often laid by
hand. The most common color combinations used were Ironstone (red and brown),
Limestone and sandstone (yellow and brown), slate (blue and black) and Chalk (white). They were set at slight angles to the wall so
they caught the light in various different places. Mosaics were also formed
from naturally colored pebbles.
Egyptians were the first to use glass paste in palaces and
temples, and it is believed the usage of glass mosaics reached Italy from
Egypt.
One of the Roman remains mostly intact were the mosaics as
they were considered the roman carpets of time.
Romans used mosaics as their floor coverings and while the walls mostly
fell to decay the floors were left intact.
Often times only the wealthy could afford a mosaic as a personalization
of their family and used to make a statement about their position in society. Mosaic panels were also used for public
places such as schools, public baths,
and shops, for decorative reasons.
In the 4th century BC, Mosaics were found in the Macedonian
palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic Villas. In the late 4th Century, wall and ceiling
mosaics were adapted to Christian uses. The greatest developments were from the
Byzantine Empire.
In the Greek-Roman period, various techniques of decoration
were popular:
• Opus
Signinum: In this technique developed by the Greeks the mosaic was constituted
of “ciottoli”, or pebbles, that were randomly placed, with rudimental designs,
and cemented into place with clay or plaster.
• Opus
tesselatum: In this technique, the mosaic is constituted or small pieces,
mostly squares of about one centimeter, made of stone, enamel, and glass paste,
also colored. The pieces were placed one
next to the other with very little space between so as not to show the
underlying base.
• Opum
vermiculatum: This technique was very
similar to the Opus tesselatum, differing mostly in the way in which the pieces
were cut to shape and size best suited for the design that was being
created. The outlines figures were more
accurately depicted.
• Opus
sectile: In this type of mosaic, designs
were not depicted with pieces of stone etc but instead with pieces of marble or
hard stones, cut in such a manner to create uniform colors or patterns.
Materials of various origins are found in mosaics. The most common are marble, glass paste,
terracotta, mother or pearl, shells, enamels, gold and silver, depending on
what was more suited to the effect that was sought.
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At Sadigh Gallery we carry magnificent Roman tesserae floor
panels, mounted on wooden frames.
View these collections here:
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