3rd  Grade:  Lesson  1  (November)  

 

Keywords: Detail, Stonework, Personification, Mosaic, Cornucopia

Activity: Mosaic Tile Keywords:

• Personification: when you assign the qualities of a person to something that isn’t human or, in some cases, to something that isn’t even alive.

• Mosaic: the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. Small stone or glass pieces of different colors are used to create a pattern or picture.

• Cornucopia: “horn of plenty,” a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. It is particularly associated with the Thanksgiving holiday in North America.

Art Masterpiece: Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis, Artist Unknown,

500–550 CE Byzantine Marble and Glass

3rd  Grade:  Lesson  1  (November)  

 

About the Artwork:

• The Personification of Ktisis is a part of large floor mosaic of a public building of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire was an Eastern part of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.

• The richly bejeweled lady in this mosaic is Ktisis, a personification of generous donation. In her hands she holds a rod; it is a tool for measuring the Roman foot (length equal to 11.64”). On her right a man extends a cornucopia toward her as if offering a gift; the Greek word for "good" is near his head.

• The classical tradition of personifying abstract ideals was common in the Mediterranean. Images of Ktisis have been found on the floor mosaics of bathhouses and churches throughout the Byzantine Empire.

• The Greek Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City purchased the two figures (Ktisis and the man with cornucopia) separately. Once the museum acquired both fragments, the mosaic was restored in accordance with an old photograph of the original mosaic.

Possible Questions:

• What jewelry is the lady wearing? (jeweled headband on her head, large pearls in her ears, a necklace of delicate stones about her throat, and two broaches on her dress and robe)

• What would be some examples of personification that you’ve seen? (Movies: "Cars,” cars are alive; “Frozen,” Olaf is alive, etc. )

• What colors do you see in the mosaic? (earth tones, warm colors, light background, browns, dark lines)

• Can you find contrasting colors? Explain contrast (earrings and hair, man's dark shoes against light background).

• Think of the texture, how would the mosaic feel if you touched it? • Have you ever seen mosaic in a real life? If yes, where? (mosaic garden

tables, decorative pieces, large mosaic displays around the school)

3rd  Grade:  Lesson  1  (November)  

 

Activity: Mosaic Tile

1) Pass out one 5-inch square of art-board per student, and have them write their name on the back with a pencil or white colored pencil.

2) Hand out the stencils and let the students choose one shape or one set of graduated squares to trace. Students should also each get a 4-inch square stencil to trace as a border.

3) With a pencil, center the 4-inch square on the art-board square. Trace to make a border. If students chose a black art-board square, they can use a white colored pencil to trace, if desired.

4) Center the chosen shape or smaller squares (from the set of graduated squares) inside the square border and trace around it with a pencil.

5) Collect the stencils and hand out the containers of mosaic tiles, 1 per student. Some containers contain more “girl”-type colors, and some more “boy”-type colors, but students can choose the variety they would like. Instruct students to do their best to keep the colors separate inside the trays. Colors have been separated because it was taking too much time to simply find the right color of tile.

6) Also hand out glue and one art-board “spreader” to each student. 7) Spread glue thinly over the surface of the surface of the tile. Art-

board spreaders can be used to spread the glue into an even layer. 8) Instruct the students to fill in their outlined shapes with contrasting

colors of mosaic tiles, thus giving definition to the shapes. o For example: if a heart was traced, fill in the heart with red

mosaic tiles, fill in the area around the heart with blue mosaic tiles, and fill in the border with purple mosaic tiles. The color contrast defines the shape.

9) Discard the art-board glue spreaders. Collect the mosaic tile containers and glue bottles.

10) Allow the glue to dry completely before displaying the tiles or sending them home.

3rd  Grade:  Lesson  1  (November)  

 

Materials Needed:

• 5-inch art-board squares (can be white or black) • 4-inch square and various other shape stencils • White colored pencils • Pencils • Glue • Art-board scraps to use as glue spreaders • Cardstock mosaic tiles in divided plastic trays • Wipes to clean hands and desks

Artwork Examples: