Mosaic is an art form which uses small pieces of materials placed together to create a unified whole. They are patterns produced by arranging small colored pieces of hard material together, such as marble, travertine, limestone or glass.  

Some of the finest examples can be found in ancient art from the Greco-Roman world, and in Byzantine churches.  

This craft can be used to decorate everything from chests of drawers to floors , and it has been a part of the artistic expression of many cultures all over the world.

 

The word mosaic is from the Italian mosaico deriving from the Latin mosaicus and ultimately from the Greek mouseios meaning belonging to the Muses, hence artistic. The term for each piece of material is Tessera (plural: tesserae). The term for the spaces in between where the grout goes is the interstices. Andamento is the word used to describe the movement and flow of Tesserae. The 'opus', the Latin for ‘work’, is the way in which the pieces are cut and placed varies and is known.