Making Ancient and Byzantine Mosaics

There's more to mosaics than meets the eye. The design and arrangement of hundreds or thousands of tesserae (stone or glass cubes) was a complex process involving meticulous planning. However, before a mosaicist began any project, a solid foundation was necessary. From there, the artist could create a work of art that could last for centuries. In this video, a master mosaicist from the Chicago Mosaic School demonstrates the art of mosaic making by recreating a section of the Art Institute of Chicago's 5th century Byzantine mosaic fragment with a Man Leading a Giraffe.

This video was produced with the generous support of a Long Range Fund grant provided by the Community Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was created for LaunchPad, a program of digital interpretive materials that supplement the viewing of works of art on display in the Art Institute of Chicago's galleries.