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Mosaics of Bergama/Pergamon

Published by gertrud

Many of you know the famous “Pergamon Museum” in Berlin. Where is this place Pergamon? I had the chance to visit the archeological museum of the ancient city Pergamon in Turkey this summer again. 7 years ago during my mosaic conservation studies at the University Ankara I spent one day with the conservation team of Bergama Archeological Project. During that day I was given permission to photograph the mosaics from the masque mosaic floor which originates from 2.c AD. The mosaic is beautifully preserved and presented in the building Z on the Acropolis hill of the Archeological Museum Bergama . It was a joy coming back after all this time. The gallery below is a mix from my recent photos and the photos of 2007. Enjoy!   On our stroll through the ruins one small detail took my attention. I saw a braided pattern in a stone carving on one of the unearthed pieces exhibited which reminded me of a similar pattern in ancient mosaics. Funnily I could find this detail in one of the …

Pique Assiette using ancient Chinese porcelain

Published by gertrud

Pique Assiette is a mosaic technique that was invented around 1930 by a grave yard digger in Chatre in northern France.  He decorated his house in- and outside with shards from broken plates and cups. “Pique assiette – Picked up plates” since then has developed into a well known mosaic technique. I would say in the past 10 years the technique saw a revival. Famous artists like Gila Rayberg in the US use this technique masterfully to make their projects. When SuNan from the porcelain studio Caicifang in Beijing contacted me about an exhibition of my mosaic art and workshops in their studio, I was intrigued to use this technique with ancient Chinese porcelain shards. One of the neighbouring shops of Caicifang is a sculptor who makes the mascot of Beijing – the rabbit god in many different shapes and colours. There is a lovely story about this mascot: The rabbit is the pet of the moon goddess Chang-e. When there was a plague in Beijing and inhabitants of the city fell ill and died, …

Where Porcelain comes from

Published by gertrud

As part of my residency to explore the interfaces between mosaic and porcelain craft I went on an excursion to Jingdezhen, the birthplace of porcelain. We took the train to ride slow into history. Porcelain production started first time in the world in the area around Jingdezhen in the 11 century. Here the craftsmen first experimented with the special earths found in the area that are needed to fire pure white and often delicately thin vessels. It soon became the highly sought and expensively traded “white gold”. Jingdezhen is a small city in the middle of China. Everyone who has a window to the street sells porcelain or pottery. Even the street lamps are exhibiting porcelain. Unfortunately the historic area with the ancient kilns dating back to the 11 century was under reconstruction. See below. But the large porcelain museum at the city fringe shows a detailed history of porcelain craft on 4 floors.  It was nice to see the craft very much alive and we could lay hands on the pottery wheel feeling the …