The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-02
MAKING A MOSAIC.
In tho First Place, What Is = Mosaic :?
Secondly, How Made?

In tho First Place, What Is Mosaic :?
Secondly, How Made?
Mosaic is the art of producing artistic de-
signs by setting small pieces of stone or
glass of different colors so as to give the
effect of painting. We sometimes hear of
mosaic woodwork, meaning an article such
as table made of small pieces of wood.
Strictly speaking, the term is incorrect. but
custom has sanctioned the usage, says Gold
en- Days.
The origin of the art is obscure, but it is
certainly very ancient. and was much prac-
ticed by the early Romans. It is especially
an Italian art, having arrived at the great
est perfection in Italy.
In that country there are two very dis
tinct varieties of mosaic work-the Floren-
tine and the Roman. The former is entirely
formed of pieces of stone or shell of the
natural colors, and is limited in its applica-
ton chiefly to floral and arabesque designs;
the latter is made of glass, and has 20 wide
an application that most of the finest paint.
inRs OF the old masters have been copied in
mosaic, and the pictures SO taken form the
almost imperishable decorations of the
finest churches in Italy.
As in every other department. of art,
modern skill has introduced improvements
in mosaic works. By the old method the
in Venice-by taking q big drop of molten
glass and pressing it out fat to about q
quarter of an inch in thickness,
They are made in every color, and after
dressing are cut into little cubes and ar
ranged to form the design, and it is the cut
disadvantages are the disagreeablo glitter
Of the glass and the difficulty Of shaping
the pieces.
In the new method the workman has =
shallow mold, into which he sifts from the
perforated bottom Of q tin jug a colored
powder. From another jug he sits another
thickness Of white powder. and then con-
siderable thickness of coarse powder, max.
ing altogether quarter of an inch.
These powders are of ground glass and
are fused by the heat Of the fire into solid
tile. The first powder is of the color the
glass 10 intended to be, the second is white,
to give quality to the surface color and to
resist damp, and the third is simply back
ing Of coarser glass to give strength and
thickness.
The tile is then cut up into little pieces
with steel wheel into the shapes required.
The advantage. besides the superior color,
is that the surface instead of the cut edge
of the tile is used for the picture, and any
kind of shape can be cut as required.
Thus there can be cut pieces into the
shape of a thumb-nail. or Of nostril, or of
parts OF an eye, or any of the little bits of
drawing which go to make mp picture. In
the old way these things would have to be
made up of little cubes, and Of course the
shapes would not have been nearly 90 accu-
rate.
The pieces are put together in various
ways. The easiest is to cement tho glass
piece by piece upon the stonework. But
that makes very uneven work, and il il
olmcuit to make alterations
Inc methods actually practiced arc two,
namely, face down" and ''faoe mp" The
former Is used for decorative panels, and
me latter for important work. like pic
A tracing is made Of, say, head, which
trac,ng 10 pasted down ON plate OF Rlasa.
Aits!e pieces OF mosaic are then, after much
oelelu! selection and cutting. put down mp
ON tneir places on the tracing and fixed
we weak cement, and % bit by bit the
Inc advantage is that the workman can
- wnat ne is doing as no goes along, and
work 10 finished in this vav q II rasi1v To- -,
transferring permanently to tha stone Mi
or 70 slab of slate, -
THIS u easily done. Apiece Of Ensn .noh
- architects use for tracing. 4 oaunentsd An
over the face of the pieoee az cla.s. Wh.r
this - hard, the linen. Win an ~ ni>c.. -
Mosaic, y stripped OF the Qlaes No. The
LAB Of slate or the wall p ~ nrencne6
v1sa csmenf, upon which the mosaic. hold
to6,snef ~ the linen, ID peaapod and left 70
naroen. The linen il thu voahcd - and
- unnamed mosaic exposed % Wv.
IL -