ANDEMENTO:
The direction or flow of the tesserae within a mosaic.

BOZZETTO:
A reduced to scale design of mosaic art suitable for customer inspection.

CARTOON:
A full-scale design of a mosaic. Often traced onto a medium which tesserae are added.

EMBLEMA:
A mosaic panel featuring a figure constructed of small tesserea worked away from the final installation site.

INTERSTICE:
The gap between tesserae.

MILLEFIORI:
Round handmade Murano, Italian feature tesserae of 'a thousand flowers' dating back to 15th century.

OPUS INTERASSILE:
Marble slabs used to decorate the walls into which feature mosaics were inserted.

OPUS MUSIVUM:
Wall mosaics made from glass paste and marble.

OPUS SEGMENTATUM / SECTILE:
Thin geometric mosaic slabs bedded into a mortar of lime and pozzolana.

OPUS TESSELLATUM:
Roman geometric mosaics made up of handcut cubed tesserae of stone and marble.

OPUS VERMICULATUM:
Mosaics made of minute tesserae.

POUNCING:
A method of transferring cartoon designs to the surface to be mosaiced. The shape is pin-pricked and dusted with charcoal leaving an outline of the design.

ROTINO:
A hand-turned grinding wheel used to shape tessera.

SICIS:
Small Italian moulded, glass tesserae with rounded corners.

SMALTI:
Handmade Italian rectangular bricks of opaque glass used in Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna. Left ungrouted due to its naturally occuring bubbled surface.

STATUMEN:
Rubble layer beneath floor mosaics.

TESSERA:
An individual piece of mosaic.

TESSELLATE:
To build or inlay a mosaic.

VITREOUS GLASS:
Mosaic glass tiles in wide range of colours with a flat smooth surface. Frost and UVA resistant. Ridged on reverse for better adhesion.

MOSAIC MATERIALS

CUTTING TOOLS:
Wheeled cutters
Nippers
Tile cutters
Hammers
Hardie & Anvil (used for Smalti)

ADHESIVES:
PVA
Cement mortar
Acrylic-based
Epoxy resins
Grout

CLEANING PRODUCTS:
Limescale remover
Vinegar
Hydrochloric acid
Sponge
Squeegee

BASES:
MDF
Plywood
Concrete paving stones
Furniture
Picture frames
Coasters/Table mats
Terraces
Walls
Floors etc!

Sue Kershaw
Mosaic Artist (UK based)
www.mosaicart.org.uk