In representing landscapes, one of the most difficult techniques used by artists is the Florentine mosaic, or commezzo. Florentine mosaic differs from many other mosaics in that it is not made from regular pieces of stone, ceramic or glass. Instead, artists that using this technique will create “paintings” from thin, irregular pieces of stone. Stone pieces are cut so precisely that the joints between them are almost invisible.
An artist who “paints” with semi-precious stones has a whole palette of colors at his disposal. The sky blue azure stone is dotted with white veins and shimmering golden yellow pyrite crystals. On malachite, light and dark shades of green alternate. Marble comes in various shades of yellow, brown, green and red, and the patterns give it a special beauty. Agate, jasper, onyx, porphyry and other stones of beautiful hues and patterns give the artist all the force of color he can use to create a masterpiece. All these colors, stripes, veins and patterns are used by artists to depict rocky landscapes, flowers, restless sea or sky and clouds.
Florentine mosaic is not a new painting technique. It probably originates from the Middle East and became a favorite way of decorating floors and walls in ancient Rome. Although this technique was already widespread in the Middle Ages, it became especially famous for the works of art that were made in Florence from the 16th century.
“Painting” with stone requires a lot of time and effort. In one magazine it was stated that the time spent to make “even a very simple mosaic would horrify today’s business people who value productivity above all else”. Because of this, these mosaics are as expensive today as they were in the past, so they are inaccessible to most people.
The process of making a mosaic
The artist first creates a drawing or a picture based on which he creates a mosaic. Then he makes a copy of it and cuts it exactly the way he will later put the pieces of the mosaic together. Then he carefully selects the most suitable stone tiles and glues the cut parts of the template onto them. While doing this, he actually “paints” a new, unique work, which is not just a copy of the template he created earlier.
The thickness of the stone tiles is only two or three millimeters, and the artist places each of them in a vise so that he can cut the pieces for the future mosaic. He carefully cuts them with a saw, which is actually a wire stretched over a bow made of chestnut wood. As he cuts out the pieces of the future mosaic, he coats the wire with abrasive paste. After that, he sands the cut pieces so precisely that not even a glimmer of light passes between them when he places them next to each other.
After all the parts are finally assembled and glued to the slate stone base, it is time for the final sanding and polishing of the mosaic. This gives it a high shine.
What is particularly interesting about the Florentine mosaic is that the artist cannot determine exactly what every detail of his work will look like during creation.
