Monthly Archives: January 2020

This Is How Mosaics Are Made

The earliest mosaics, as evidenced by Pre-Columbian art, were made of shells, pieces of semi-precious stones, and even mother-of-pearl inlays. However, these humble beginnings soon led to the grand mosaics of Mesopotamia and, from there, into Ancient Greece and Rome. While how mosaics are made has changed over time, one thing remains constant: The final […]

The Many Different Mosaic Materials & Types of Tesserae

The word “tessares,” meaning four, is thought to originate from the Greeks and eventually became “tessera” in Latin. A tessera, to the Romans, was a 4-sided tablet made of wood, stone, or bone and it was used for a variety of purposes, from ticketing to identification. Tesserae, the plural of tessera, thus was an appropriate […]