opus tessellatum

opus tessellatum

mosaic
      mosaic technique that involves the use of tesserae (tessera) (small cubes of stone, marble, glass, ceramic, or other hard material) of uniform size applied to a ground to form pictures and ornamental designs. Opus tessellatum was the most commonly used technique in the production of Hellenistic, Roman, early Christian, and Byzantine mosaics. Evolving from the supplementary use of stone tesserae to achieve colour intensity in earlier pebble mosaics, opus tessellatum came to be used for entire mosaic floors in most areas of the eastern Mediterranean by at least the beginning of the 2nd century BC. The earliest mosaics in opus tessellatum were composed of stone and marble tesserae, but, in the course of the 2nd century, tesserae of coloured glass were introduced for special colour effects. In the Hellenistic (Hellenistic Age) period (3rd to 1st centuries BC) in cities in Greece, Africa, Sicily, and Italy, pictorial mosaics of great virtuosity were produced in opus tessellatum; more commonly, however, opus tessellatum was reserved for decorative borders surrounding emblēmata, or central figural panels executed in opus vermiculatum, a finer mosaic work using much smaller tesserae.

      In the 1st century BC, with the rise of the Roman Empire, Italy became the centre of mosaic production; there and in the rest of the empire opus tessellatum continued to be used in a mainly secondary, decorative role whenever opus vermiculatum could be afforded. Beginning with the 1st century AD, however, figural opus tessellatum was increasingly used to cover whole floors, and by the early Christian period it had become the dominant technique. With the widespread use of monumental wall mosaics that began with that era, opus tessellatum entirely replaced opus vermiculatum, being much better suited, with its large tesserae and rougher visual effect, for viewing at a distance. Glass tesserae were used almost exclusively for these wall mosaics, and glass opus tessellatum remained the common mosaic technique throughout the Middle Ages.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Opus tessellatum — mosaic (3rd century); the refers to the mainly vertical rows in the main background behind the animal, where tiles are not also aligned to form horizontal rows. Opus tessellatum refers to a type of mosaic made from tesserae. Opus tessellatum is… …   Wikipedia

  • opus tessellatum — ò·pus tes·sel·là·tum loc.s.m.inv., lat. TS arte tipo di mosaico per pavimenti, ottenuto con cubi di marmo e pietra, spec. quadrangolari e di piccole dimensioni {{line}} {{/line}} ETIMO: lat. opus tessellatum propr. lavoro fatto a mosaico …   Dizionario italiano

  • Opus tessellatum — Opus tesselatum L’opus tesselatum (du latin tessella, cube, dé à jouer) est la forme courante de mosaïque antique. Le dessin en noir et blanc ou en couleur est réalisé par la disposition de pierres approximativement cubiques (tesselles), de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • TESSELLATUM (OPUS) — TESSELLATUM OPUS Expression désignant l’assemblage de petits cubes (tesselles) de pierres uniformes, en vue de constituer une mosaïque. Si les cubes sont de dimensions et de matériaux variables, l’opus (appareil) est dit vermiculatum (vermiculé) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • opus vermiculatum — ▪ mosaic       type of mosaic work frequently used in Hellenistic (Hellenistic Age) and Roman times, in which part or all of a figural mosaic is made up of small, closely set tesserae (cubes of stone, ceramic, glass, or other hard material) that… …   Universalium

  • Opus vermiculatum — Central emblema of a floor mosaic with a cat and two ducks, first quarter of the 1st century BC, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme Opus vermiculatum is a type of mosaic which draws an outline around shapes using tesserae. This can be one or more rows… …   Wikipedia

  • Opus tesselatum — L’opus tessellatum (du latin tessella, cube, dé à jouer) est la forme courante de mosaïque antique. Le dessin en noir et blanc ou en couleur est réalisé par la disposition de pierres approximativement cubiques (tesselles), de dimension… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Opus — (lat.), Werk; in der Literatur ein schriftstellerisches Werk, daher Opera (s. d.), die Werke eines Autors; in der Musik (abgekürzt Op.) eine größere oder kleinere Komposition (und zwar pflegen die Komponisten ihre Werke in der Reihenfolge der… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Arte en España — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Las Meninas de Diego Velázquez, en el Museo del Prado, Madrid. Este cuadro es uno de los más representativos del arte español junto a la representación de El tres de mayo de 1808 de Goya y a otras obras de Velázquez …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mosaics — • Includes information on the history and techniques Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Mosaics     Mosaics     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

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