Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1882-02-08
How Mosaic Pictures are Made.
London Telegraph.

Inc EhdftfaH III 'Hc NefNtt SMUT
cap came TO my aid, when ! was Mt
! fault, with most courteous explana.
lions. He mentioned incidentally
that, in a portrait of Pope Plus ",
there were one million seven hun.
dred thousand pieces, each no larger
than grain of Hillet, but this state
ment | take TO have been mainly
| guess work. The enamel, he pro.
ceeded to tell me, is kind OF glass,
colored with metallic oxides, and 1t
is SO fusible that it can be drawn
ont in threads, small rods, or oblong
sticks of varying degrees of fine
ness, slightly resembling the type
used by compositors. These poly
chromatic rods are kept in drawers
properly numbered, so that the
artist always knows TO which case
TO repair when he requires fresh
supply of q particular tint or tints.
When the picture is commenced
! the first step is TO place on the
easel q slab of marble, copper or
slate of the size fixed upon; and
! this slab is followed out to II depth
of abont three and q half inches,
I leaving q Hat border all round which
will be on n level with the cOmplet-
ed mosaic. The excava;ed slab is
intersectcd by transverse grooves
or channels, SO rs to hold more
tenaciOusly the cement in which the
mounts of enamel will be imbedded.
Then the followed slab is filled
with geese or plaster of Paris,
on which the proposed design is
accurately traced in outline, and
usually in pen aud ink. The artist
/ then proceeds to scoop ont a small
portion OF the plaster with a little
sharp tool He fills up the cavity
thus made with wet cement or mas
tic and into this mastic he success.
sively thrusts the "spicnlR' or the
"tpSseTR,' rs the case may he,
according to the pattern at his side.
In the broad folds of drapery or IN
the even shadows of background
or clear sky, his narsels of enamel
may he aS large us one of a pair OF
dice: ia the details Of lips or eyes or
hair, OF foliage, or flowers. the bits
of glass may be no larger than pins
heads.
The cement, or mastic, is made,
so tar as | could gather from my
informant, of slaked lime, tiEcly
powdered Tiburtine marble and
linsecd oil, aud-Mhen thoroughly
dry is az hard as flint. Sometimes
! the mastic which fills the cavity is
smoo,hed and painted III fresco with
an exact replica Of the pattern, and
into this the bits of glass are driven,
according Ia tint, 10y means of II
small wooden mallr'.
ifthc effect plndurrd wounds he
artists eye, he can easily amend
the dritt, bN withdrawing the
offending piece of enamel and dIlv.
ing IN another while the cement il
still wet, and. 10y observing proper
precautions. II can be kept damp
for more than II fortnight. When
the work is completed, any tiny
creviee, which may remain are plug,
ged or stopped" with pounded
marble, or with enamel mixed with
wax, and tue entire surface of the
picture is then ground down 10 n
perfect plane, and finally polished
with putty and oil. Byzantine may
be broadly distinguished from
Roman mosaic by the circumstance
of the surface of the former being
left unground and unpolished-save
where there is FURNISHED gold
thus leaving an irregularity Of sur
face productive of great vigor OF
effect. \ virtuous picture of the
Byzantine style can at once he
recognized as n mosaic, even if it
be hung at an attitude of one hun.
bred feet from tue ground; bat a
perfected mosaic picture, after the
Roman manner, might easily be
mistaken, even at very short dis
lance, tor q very deliberately finish
ed and highly vanished painting
in oils.
a young man advertised for a
private boarding bouse where he