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They were created by little pieces of glass

Originally mosaics were made of pebbles of various natural colours. Later they were made of small pieces of stone, shells, ivory and other materials. Marble and limestone were also used. Later still, coloured and clear glass backed with metal foil was used. The Byzantines introduced gold leafs sandwiched between two flatter pieces of glass.

The small pieces were called tessera (plural tesserae).

There are two methods of making mosaics:

The direct method is used especially for small portable three dimensional objects, such as vases. The tesserae are glued directly on the object's surface.

The indirect method is used for large mosaics or repetitive patterns. The tesserae are applied face down of backing materials and then transferred to the floor or walls.

There is also the double indirect method. This is a modern technique.

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12y ago

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