With the proceeds from my first ever commission, I bought some authentic smalti, which are more rectangular pieces of this glass mosaic tile. When the parcel came, it really was exciting, and to open it, exhilarating! The colours! The nuggets of loveliness! And yes, I marked the moment with a photo!
To put smalti in a historical perspective, they were originally used in mosaics created during the time of the Byzantine Empire - 330 -1415. They were made by mixing molten glass with metal oxides for colour; the result was a cloudy mixture that was poured into flat slabs and then cooled, and finally broken into individual pieces. The molten mixture could also be topped with gold leaf - very expensive! During the Byzantine era, Constantinople became the centre of the mosaic craft. These days they are made by pouring molten liquid poured and cooled in trays, resulting in the pieces, like the ones you can see in the photos.

In my work with smalti so far, I haven't used grout, so emphasising the vividness of the colour mix. It is a real treat and privilege to work with them, and I look forward to creating some big stunning pieces in the future.
Like them..?!
Felicity
Felicity
These tiles are so unique! They're like candies! Oh my! I love the colors, too! Thanks for sharing!
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Yes, aren't they lovely, Gertrude! Still hoping for my first big Smalti commission...!
ReplyDeleteNice work .Thanks for the share. Keep up writing so that we can get more informative blogs like this one.
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Thanks, Joy! Fx
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