Byzantine Mosaic

Byzantine mosaics were made from small pieces of coloured glass, stone or ceramic. Gold leaf and precious stones were also used for intricate ornamental designs. Design your own mosaic using metallic squares to make an embellished wall decoration.

Skill Level

Beginner

Time to Make

1 hour

Adult Supervision

Yes

Byzantine Mosaic

Top Tip

Tape a loop of string or wool onto the back of your mosaic design to hang it on the wall.

How to Make

Byzantine Mosaic
Byzantine Mosaic
Byzantine Mosaic
  1. Use a small-sized black or coloured plate as the base for your mosaic. Mark a point in the middle of the plate with a pencil then draw 2 lines 8cm in length across the middle to make a cross shape. If you can’t see the lines clearly use a pale coloured pencil or a ballpoint pen.
  2. Start by sticking 4 gold mosaic squares around the middle of the cross. Add more squares using the pencil lines as a guide for making the cross shape. Cut 4 mosaic squares in half to make triangular pieces for the ends of the cross.
  3. Stick red (or use another colour) mosaic squares around the edge of the plate to make a border.
  4. Fill in the background around the cross with blue and green mosaic squares. Fill in any gaps by the border with triangles or smaller pieces.
  5. Stick self-adhesive gems and pearls onto the cross as decoration.