History of Mosaic

The history of mosaic goes back some 4,000 years or more, with the use of terracotta cones pushed point-first into a background to give decoration. By the eighth century BC, there were pebble pavements, using different coloured stones to create patterns, although these tended to be unstructured decoration. It was the Greeks, in the four centuries BC, who raised the pebble technique to an art form, with precise geometric patterns and detailed scenes of people and animals.

A full vision of the history of mosaics requires an understanding of all of the civilizations where the mosaic was present because this art form was not born in a particular place or time. Rather, it appeared sporadically in various cultures and locations not connected with each other, until finally this art form became more prominent and was subsequently developed and disseminated. In fact some of the first manifestations were: In Chaldean architecture, some two thousand years B.C., where some columns were covered with mosaics, small cones of clay were actually embedded in the structure of the column, and painted. In the ancient pre-dynasty tomb of UR, a city of Sumeria where two panels of a standard are in part decorated with mosaics, picturing scenes of victory, wars and peace.

In ancient Egypt, there existed many decorations in glass paste in palaces and temples. The Egyptians were the first to discover the fusion of glass, and to create a flourishing industry which even led to the decoration of their ships. From this fact, one can conclude that it is likely that the usage of glass mosaics reached Italy from Egypt, for example the scenes of the Nile in the museum of Alexandria, of Tell Timai, Delta. In Alexandria, one can find many ancient mosaic decorations. In fact, two schools are discernible, that of the east extending towards Asia, in Syria and Byzantium, and the other towards Greece and Italy. The early spread of mosaics in Greece is well known. Among the most famous mosaic locations was Pergamo, the capital of Misia, where the first school of mosaics was born under the master artist Sosos. Mosaics became so popular that they were used in the decoration of even the most modest homes. These mosaics are still visible on the magnificent works of art found in various archeological sites. They were produced in "ciottoli" (pebbles) which were combined in such a manner as to obtain contrasting colors and gradation of shading so as to give volume to the figures, the outlines of which were obtained with thing strips of led inserted in the plaster.

By 200 BC, specially manufactured pieces "tesserae" were being used to give extra detail and range of colour to the work. Using small tesserae, sometimes only a few millimeters in size, meant that mosaics could imitate paintings. Many of the mosaics preserved art, for example, Pompeii were the work of Greek artists. Glass was not suitable for floor mosaics, the tesserae were mainly small cubes of marble or other stone. Sometimes bits of pottery, such as terracotta, or brick were used to provide a range of colours.

Whereas Roman mosaics were mostly used as floors, the Byzantines specialized in covering walls and ceilings. The smalti were ungrouted, allowing light to reflect and refract within the glass. Also, they were set at slight angles to the wall, so that they caught the light in different ways. The gold tesserae sparkle as the viewer moves around within the building. Roman images were absorbed into the typical Christian themes of the Byzantine mosaics, although some work is decorative and some incorporates portraits of Emperors and Empresses.

History of Pottery

Pottery is made from clay, one of the most common substances on earth. The result of weathering on granite or limestone or the decomposition of feldspar, clay is primarily formed of the mineral kaolinite and is a combination of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide and water.

Accessible by riverbanks or dug up close to the earth’s surface, clay was one of the human race’s earliest resources. Easily worked by hand or with the most basic of tools, clay forms could be quickly moulded and dried in the sun. These early figurines and pots weren’t very durable until prehistoric people tamed fire and discovered how to fire clay.

Some archaeologists conjecture that the discovery came about by accident, when clay bowls or mud-lined baskets were placed too close to the cooking fire and were baked as a result. Others postulate that religious figures made of clay discarded or sacrificed in the fire, and found hardened in the ashes, could have tipped off early peoples. Still others think that early humans could have discovered that fire pits dug in clay were more efficient than those dug directly out of sand or soil due to the clay being baked, and transferred the technology to creating pots.

It is believed that the earliest pottery wares were hand-built and fired in bonfires. Firing times were short but the peak-temperatures achieved in the fire could be high, perhaps in the region of 900 degrees Celsius, and were reached very quickly. Clays tempered with sand, grit, crushed shell or crushed pottery were often used to make bonfire-fired ceramics, because they provided an open body texture that allows water and other volatile components of the clay to escape freely. The coarser particles in the clay also acted to restrain shrinkage within the bodies of the wares during cooling, which was carried out slowly to reduce the risk of thermal stress and cracking. In the main, early bonfire-fired wares were made with rounded bottoms, to avoid sharp angles that might be susceptible to cracking. The earliest intentionally constructed kilns were pit-kilns or trench-kilns; holes dug in the ground and covered with fuel. Holes in the ground provided insulation and resulted in better control over firing.

For archaeologists and historians the study of pottery can help to provide an insight into past cultures. Pottery is durable and fragments, at least, often survive long after artifacts made from less-durable materials have decayed past recognition. Combined with other evidence, the study of pottery artifacts is helpful in the development of theories on the organization, economic condition and the cultural development of the societies that produced or acquired pottery. The study of pottery may also allow inferences to be drawn about a culture's daily life, religion, social relationships, and attitudes towards neighbors, attitudes to their own world and even the way the culture understood the universe.

History of Nabatean Pottery

Nabateans of Petra (from πέτρα "petra", rock in Greek) were an ancient trading people of southern Jordan, their loosely-controlled trading network, which centered on strings of oases that they controlled around Petra the rose city, where agriculture was intensively practiced in limited areas, and on the routes that linked them, which had no securely defined boundaries in the surrounding desert.

Nabateans common-ware pottery was simple and similar to the pottery used by the civilizations around them. Its distinctive characteristic was the use of red clay that gave it a bright red color. Most Nabataean common-ware pottery was well made but plain, with little decoration. This, however, was not true of their fine, thin-wares. Nabataean fine thin-ware pottery was all made locally, and some was plain, but the majority was painted. Nabataean fine thin-ware was perhaps the finest ceramics produced in the Middle East up to that time. It has been suggested by some that their taste in fine pottery came from pieces they might have imported from China.

The Nabataeans were nomads, they had little use for pottery and used water skins and wooden bowls. Consequently, Nabataean pottery does not generally exist from before 100 BC. Then, suddenly they began to produce their own pottery, both common-ware pottery for every day use and very fine thin pottery for the wealthy and for religious usage. This pottery, especially the later kind, was produced in huge quantities, and large mounds of broken Nabataean pottery lie in Petra today.

Their painted pottery was unique, with figures of ancient mythology, flowering vines, flowers, and even birds with bright plumage. Some of the finest and thinnest of Nabataean painted pottery was found underneath the paved floor of the central altar-shrine of Khirbet Tannur, and is dated no later than the end of the first century BC. Recently archeologists have discovered near complete pottery trays, bowls, and other objects in an unrobed tomb in Jordan.

History of Ceramic Art

Ceramics and ceramic art in the art world means artwork made out of clay bodies and fired into the hardened ceramic form. Some ceramic pieces are classified as fine art, while many others can be classified as one of the decorative, industrial or applied arts. Ceramic art usually was intended by the maker as art. It may have a signature, designer name or brand name stamp on the bottom. Ceramic art can be either manufactured by individuals or in a factory that employs artists to design, produce or decorate the ware.

On the Greek island of Santorini are some of the earliest finds dating to the third millennium BC, with the original settlement at Akrotiri dating to the fourth millennium BC some of the excavated homes contain huge ceramic storage jars known as pithoi. A number of Gravettian figurines found in the Czech Republic are believed to represent the earliest known works of ceramic artwork made of the human form.

Fine art ceramics include ceramic art made by hand and designed to be purely art, that is to be looked at and enjoyed visually and contemplatively, without any further uses. It is often one of a kind. In modern art theory, the fine art pot or expressive pot has been used as a name of pottery that aspires to the conditions of fine art, generally by prioritizing conceptual and aesthetic qualities over functionality or usefulness. Fine art pot has been used as a term opposite of the phrase ethical pot (meaning utilitarian pottery) - at least by ceramic art theorists defining art styles and their merits since the 1940s. The modern art movement in pottery is experimental in nature. Many styles originated from the Arts and Crafts movement when studio potters were looking to find a place and definition for the crafts in the age of industrialization and mechanized-production, and from the desire to re-establish ceramics as a fine art medium. Modern ceramic artists and potters often engage in what has become know as the "Art versus Craft debate", in which the merits of each pottery approach are perpetually reiterated without resolution.

Mosaic Workshops

Mufida Art Mosaic workshop provides an environment that will motivate you to start on your next or even first mosaics project. The aim is to obtain mosaic techniques intended for both indoor and outdoor decoration (mirrors, table tops, vases, wall ornaments, name plates and many more). The primary material in the workshop is ceramics, which is inexpensive and easy to find. You will learn to handle ceramics cutters in order to create your own mosaic pieces. You will learn how to plan and elaborate a project from idea up to realization.

The Mosaic Workshop undertakes a wide range of mosaics, including domestic, commercial, religious, public art, mosaics for schools and the community, mosaic objects, pools, and portraits. The company offers a unique range of skills encompassing the design, restoration, manufacture and installation of mosaics made of glass, marble and ceramic.

Have fun being creative while learning traditional mosaic techniques in an informal workshop setting. You will plan and build your own project: from designing patterns to choosing color combinations and cutting ceramic. Do you want to make a mirror, a decorative hook or a magnet board? It’s up to you. You are welcome to come one time or every week. This depends on the project you choose and your level of interest. Kids love making mosaic works. They will play with colors and patterns and will make something decorative for their room. In the after school mosaic workshops for children 3 years and older kids work to their own level on projects appropriate for their age.

Mosaic and Ceramic Classes

For those really serious about mosaic and ceramics Mufida Art Mosaic holds a number of regular weekly classes. These sessions provide the opportunity to work at your own pace with helpful guidance near at hand in a social environment. There is the opportunity to learn a wide range of techniques. These classes are tailored to teach you both the Indirect and Direct methods of Mosaic.

During the beginners course you will learn the techniques of how to cut the tesserae to make your own Mosaics. You will learn to understand the importance of the grout and the colour combinations to compliment the finished Mosaic. Your first piece is designed as a practice piece to help you learn the cutting techniques and the Indirect/Reverse Mosaic method. The second Mosaic is of your own choice, you can make a mirror, pot, picture or even a table top. All the classes cost $80 this includes use of all tools, adhesive and grout for two mosaics. The material allowance includes all the tiles for the first mosaic and for the second piece is a square foot of tiles. Gold, Metallic and Smalti tiles are available at extra cost.

Design the mosaic

First the mosaic would be drawn out roughly and many different combinations of content, style and design considered. This was often a long process as it was such an expensive and important part of the house, everything about it had to be to the customers liking.

Once the design had been finalised, the artist would make a full scale colour drawing of the mosaic and it would be passed to the chosen craftsman to make the design into the finished product. Although the design had been agreed by now, it was mostly the case that it would have to be altered many times during it's construction before it was deemed to be acceptable.

Build the mosaic

The craftsman would take the plans back to his workshop and begin producing the individual pieces (tesserae) that would make the finished product. This was a long a tedious process and it would mainly be the work of the apprentices to shape the pieces. Behind the workshop, would be piles of broken pottery and stone based materials that would make the variety of colours in the mosaic.

Pieces of discarded and broken pottery. Clay artifacts that had burst whilst being fired in the furnace due to air pockets in the material.. These were used to make the various shades of colour that would be used in the mosaic. If the mosaic was geometric in that it consisted of patterns that were repeated throughout the design, panels were made and transported to the site and the mosaic built in sections. However, for the more intricate parts, the craftsman and his team would lay each piece by hand in it's allotted place.

Construction process

The first stage in actually building the mosaic was to prepare the surface. Mosaics were meant to last for many years, and also resist the possibility of subsidence ruining the finished product.

The first task was to dig a hole the size of the finished mosaic and lay a base of rubble, ensuring it was compacted down and made level. This layer would then be covered in cement to a depth just below the level of the floor. Just before this hardened, the design would be drawn out using a sharp tool or painted on the surface if the cement had hardened faster than had been expected. The next part of the process was to spread a mixture of limestone and water over the cement.

The apprentices would lay any prefabricated panels, and once they had shown their competence, they were allowed to work on any single pieces that made up the border. The work was tedious and exacting and required great patience and attention to detail A mosaic that covered an area of (5X3)m contained about 120,000 pieces.

Artwork Online Store

Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase mosaic, clay pottery or ceramic art products over the Internet. An online shop, e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, webshop, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying ceramic, clay pottery, or mosaic art products at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or in a shopping mall.

The metaphor of an online catalog is also used, by analogy with mail order catalogs. All types of stores have retail web sites as Mufida Art Mosaic, including those that do and do not also have physical storefronts and paper catalogs. The mosaic art or clay pottery or ceramic artwork online shopping is a type of electronic commerce used for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions.

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