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What is the history of mosaic?

Posted September 19, 2017

Emperor Diocletian, in the beginning of the third century, issued a decree establishing rates of pay for the various grades of mosaic artists. In 330AD, Emperor Constantine transferred the imperial seat from Rom to Byzantium and granted tax exemption to mosaic artists in order to encourage them. The technique of gilding tesserae was developed in the Byzantine era by applying a fine gold leaf to a sheet of plain or tinted glass approximately 8mm thick, covering it with a layer of powdered glass and then firing it. The resulting materials were ideal for producing colour effects because the unevenness of the powdered glass, and consequently of the overall thickness, created variations in tone and enabled gold to be used on very large areas. The popularity of mosaics began to decline in the 13th and 14th centuries, being superseded by painting on canvas and frescoes.