Roman mosaics

Roman mosaics are detailed pieces of art that were originally made by artists in Ancient Rome generally to represent a famous scene from mythology. These highly detailed mosaics consisted of geometric shapes that formed large geometric patterns to represent a historical or mythological person or scene. Most Roman mosaics were designed to be large-scale installations on floors, walls, and ceilings within palaces or homes. However, other artists created smaller scale Roman mosaics to decorate their homes.

The Alexander Mosaic

Circa 100 B.C.E., this Roman mosaic is a floor mosaic that is currently stored in Naples on a wall at the National Archeological Museum. It is arguably the most famous of all Roman mosaics and it depicts the famous battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III. Both figures are highly recognizable even today. The mosaic was discovered on a floor in the ruins of Pompeii in 1831 and is considered to be one of the most detailed of the time. Unfortunately, the artist is unknown. The Alexander Mosaic measures just under 9 feet by just under 17 feet.

There are a few main components of this Roman mosaic. The first is Alexander whose breastplate and shield feature detailed designs such as Medusa. Darius is shown riding a chariot and commanding his army to flee from the battle. The brother of Darius is depicted famously sacrificing himself in an attempt to save the king. The remainder of the mosaic consists of the armies on both sides.

Colors and Materials

Most Roman mosaics have fairly limited color palettes because of the materials that were available at the time. The majority were made of colored glass that appeared in different shades depending upon the way the light shown through it. Others were made of plaster, small colored pebbles, and on rare occasions they were even made utilizing silver or gold. This combination of materials made for Roman mosaics consisting mostly of earth tones.

Tessera is an individual tile that was generally in the shape of a square and cut from larger pieces of stone to help Ancient Roman artists create mosaics. The specific materials used were marble and limestone which is what The Alexander Mosaic was composed of. The plural of tessera is tesserae which are still in existence today and used to create modern day mosaics as well as copies of Ancient Roman mosaics. Often, students in school will study Roman art then create a mosaic.

Roman mosaics

Roman mosaics are detailed pieces of art that were originally made by artists in Ancient Rome generally to represent a famous scene from mythology. These highly detailed mosaics consisted of geometric shapes that formed large geometric patterns to represent a historical or mythological person or scene. Most Roman mosaics were designed to be large-scale installations on floors, walls, and ceilings within palaces or homes. However, other artists created smaller scale Roman mosaics to decorate their homes.

The Alexander Mosaic

Circa 100 B.C.E., this Roman mosaic is a floor mosaic that is currently stored in Naples on a wall at the National Archeological Museum. It is arguably the most famous of all Roman mosaics and it depicts the famous battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III. Both figures are highly recognizable even today. The mosaic was discovered on a floor in the ruins of Pompeii in 1831 and is considered to be one of the most detailed of the time. Unfortunately, the artist is unknown. The Alexander Mosaic measures just under 9 feet by just under 17 feet.

There are a few main components of this Roman mosaic. The first is Alexander whose breastplate and shield feature detailed designs such as Medusa. Darius is shown riding a chariot and commanding his army to flee from the battle. The brother of Darius is depicted famously sacrificing himself in an attempt to save the king. The remainder of the mosaic consists of the armies on both sides.

Colors and Materials

Most Roman mosaics have fairly limited color palettes because of the materials that were available at the time. The majority were made of colored glass that appeared in different shades depending upon the way the light shown through it. Others were made of plaster, small colored pebbles, and on rare occasions they were even made utilizing silver or gold. This combination of materials made for Roman mosaics consisting mostly of earth tones.

Tessera is an individual tile that was generally in the shape of a square and cut from larger pieces of stone to help Ancient Roman artists create mosaics. The specific materials used were marble and limestone which is what The Alexander Mosaic was composed of. The plural of tessera is tesserae which are still in existence today and used to create modern day mosaics as well as copies of Ancient Roman mosaics. Often, students in school will study Roman art then create a mosaic.

Make a roman mosaic

The Roman Mosaic- An expression of art and culture

To make a roman mosaic

Mosaic art is an art form that is the creation of pictures by piecing together colored glass, ceramic, stone and other materials. This technology of art dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Most forms of mosaics use small pieces of stone, glass of different colors that are small, flat, and roughly made into square shapes for adherence purposes. These pieces are also known as tesserae. This decorative technique is also known as interior decoration. Pebble mosaic is made of small stones and is commonly called floor mosaic.
Mosaics made of different materials that were discovered at Abra, Mesopotamia in a temple building are the earliest known examples to date. These finds date back to the 3rd millennium BC. These works are made up of shells, ivory, and pieces of colored stones. While excavations at sites like Susa (an ancient city in Elamite, Parthian empires of Iran and Persian .) and Chogha Zanbil (an ancient Elamite structure Iran) revealed examples of the first glazed tiles dating to about 1500 BC. Though mosaic art has been around for millennium, putting mosaics into patterns didn’t come about until the Sassanid Empire (Neo-Persian Empire) and the Roman influence.

Greek and Roman mosaic

Pebble mosaics were discovered at Tiryns dating back to the Bronze Age, and mosaics of Aegae, a city in Macedonian were discovered in the 4th century BC.
The main techniques for mosaic design in Roman-Greco, were opus vermiculatum which used a small form of cube. Typically these cubes are about four millimeters or less, which was developed for use in the fine detail of the mosaic, which while standing back from the mosaic gave the impression that it was a painting.
Opus tessellatum is the normal technique which uses larger cubes. The native Italian style was distinctive in that sometimes it used black on a white background which proved cheaper than using full color continually.
Mosaics have been used to decorate the floors, walls and ceilings of most types of building for millenniums which continues to this day. Although it wasn’t until the Christian era that the wall mosaics figural art was introduced as a major artistic form in expression.
Today,the mosaic continues to be an expression of art. The designers of Mosaic Miro know no boundaries when it comes to creativity in shapes, sizes and colors and an array of designs in the mosaic patterns.
In summary mosaics can run in price from the moderate to the very high end depending on your taste and budget.

Make a roman mosaic

The Roman Mosaic- An expression of art and culture

To make a roman mosaic

Mosaic art is an art form that is the creation of pictures by piecing together colored glass, ceramic, stone and other materials. This technology of art dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Most forms of mosaics use small pieces of stone, glass of different colors that are small, flat, and roughly made into square shapes for adherence purposes. These pieces are also known as tesserae. This decorative technique is also known as interior decoration. Pebble mosaic is made of small stones and is commonly called floor mosaic.
Mosaics made of different materials that were discovered at Abra, Mesopotamia in a temple building are the earliest known examples to date. These finds date back to the 3rd millennium BC. These works are made up of shells, ivory, and pieces of colored stones. While excavations at sites like Susa (an ancient city in Elamite, Parthian empires of Iran and Persian .) and Chogha Zanbil (an ancient Elamite structure Iran) revealed examples of the first glazed tiles dating to about 1500 BC. Though mosaic art has been around for millennium, putting mosaics into patterns didn’t come about until the Sassanid Empire (Neo-Persian Empire) and the Roman influence.

Greek and Roman mosaic

Pebble mosaics were discovered at Tiryns dating back to the Bronze Age, and mosaics of Aegae, a city in Macedonian were discovered in the 4th century BC.
The main techniques for mosaic design in Roman-Greco, were opus vermiculatum which used a small form of cube. Typically these cubes are about four millimeters or less, which was developed for use in the fine detail of the mosaic, which while standing back from the mosaic gave the impression that it was a painting.
Opus tessellatum is the normal technique which uses larger cubes. The native Italian style was distinctive in that sometimes it used black on a white background which proved cheaper than using full color continually.
Mosaics have been used to decorate the floors, walls and ceilings of most types of building for millenniums which continues to this day. Although it wasn’t until the Christian era that the wall mosaics figural art was introduced as a major artistic form in expression.
Today,the mosaic continues to be an expression of art. The designers of Mosaic Miro know no boundaries when it comes to creativity in shapes, sizes and colors and an array of designs in the mosaic patterns.
In summary mosaics can run in price from the moderate to the very high end depending on your taste and budget.

Make a roman mosaic

The Roman Mosaic- An expression of art and culture

To make a roman mosaic

Mosaic art is an art form that is the creation of pictures by piecing together colored glass, ceramic, stone and other materials. This technology of art dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Most forms of mosaics use small pieces of stone, glass of different colors that are small, flat, and roughly made into square shapes for adherence purposes. These pieces are also known as tesserae. This decorative technique is also known as interior decoration. Pebble mosaic is made of small stones and is commonly called floor mosaic.
Mosaics made of different materials that were discovered at Abra, Mesopotamia in a temple building are the earliest known examples to date. These finds date back to the 3rd millennium BC. These works are made up of shells, ivory, and pieces of colored stones. While excavations at sites like Susa (an ancient city in Elamite, Parthian empires of Iran and Persian .) and Chogha Zanbil (an ancient Elamite structure Iran) revealed examples of the first glazed tiles dating to about 1500 BC. Though mosaic art has been around for millennium, putting mosaics into patterns didn’t come about until the Sassanid Empire (Neo-Persian Empire) and the Roman influence.

Greek and Roman mosaic

Pebble mosaics were discovered at Tiryns dating back to the Bronze Age, and mosaics of Aegae, a city in Macedonian were discovered in the 4th century BC.
The main techniques for mosaic design in Roman-Greco, were opus vermiculatum which used a small form of cube. Typically these cubes are about four millimeters or less, which was developed for use in the fine detail of the mosaic, which while standing back from the mosaic gave the impression that it was a painting.
Opus tessellatum is the normal technique which uses larger cubes. The native Italian style was distinctive in that sometimes it used black on a white background which proved cheaper than using full color continually.
Mosaics have been used to decorate the floors, walls and ceilings of most types of building for millenniums which continues to this day. Although it wasn’t until the Christian era that the wall mosaics figural art was introduced as a major artistic form in expression.
Today,the mosaic continues to be an expression of art. The designers of Mosaic Miro know no boundaries when it comes to creativity in shapes, sizes and colors and an array of designs in the mosaic patterns.
In summary mosaics can run in price from the moderate to the very high end depending on your taste and budget.