Mosaic was used to adorn the pavements, walls, and ceilings of public
and private edifices. The Greeks in general preferred marble to every
other material. A bed of mortar was prepared, which served as a base,
which was covered with a very fine cement. The artist, having before
him the colored design which he was to execute, fixed the colored
cubes in the cement, and polished the entire surface when it had
hardened, taking care, however, that too great a polish, by its
reflection, might not mar the general effect of his work. The great
advantage of mosaic is that it resists humidity, and all which could
change the colors and the beauty of painting. Painting could not be
employed in the pavement of buildings, and mosaics gave them an
appearance of great elegance. The mosaic of the Capitol, found in
Hadrian's Villa, may give an idea of the perfection which the Greeks
attained to in that art. It represents a vase full of water, on the
sides of which are four doves, one of which is in the act of drinking.
It is supposed by some to be the mosaic of Pergamus mentioned by
Pliny. It is entirely composed of cubes of marble, without any
admixture of colored glass. Mosaic of this kind may be considered as
the most ancient; it was only by degrees that the art of coloring
marble, enamel, and glass multiplied the materials suited for mosaics,
and rendered their execution much more easy. It was then carried to a
very high degree of perfection. The mosaic found at Pompeii, which
represents three masked figures playing on different instruments, with
a child near them, is of the most exquisite workmanship. It is formed
of very small pieces of glass, of the most beautiful colors, and of
various shades. The hair, the small leaves which ornament the masks,
and the eyebrows, are most delicately expressed. What enhances the
value of this mosaic is the name of the artist who worked in
it--Dioscorides of Samos. Another mosaic found at Pompeii is the
beautiful one of Acratus on a Panther. The subjects represented in
mosaics are in endless variety, and generally are derived from
mythology or heroic myths. Landscapes and ornaments in borders, in
frets, in compartments, intermingled with tritons, nereides, centaurs,
are to be found on them. The principal subject is in the center, the
rest serves as a bordering or framework. In the Greek tessellated
pavement found at Halicarnassus, the mosaic is of very fine
workmanship, being composed of small cub