The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice
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Mosaicists
Mosaicist
Orsoni's mosaic ‘tesserae' (tiles) have a glowing artisanal heritage dating back to 1888, with Angelo Orsoni's revolutionary colour palette and technical genius. From a brilliant display at the Great Exhibition in Paris to Gaudì's world famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, Orsoni well deserve their reputation as a blazing beacon of Venetian artisanal spirit and artistic magnificence.
Honours graduates at Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli - the only legally recognised mosaic master training institution in the world - Alessandra di Gennaro and Romauld Mesdagh moved to Venice to become a part of the long-forgotten Venetian mosaic art tradition. In their workshop Artefact Mosaic Studio in the Castello district, they use only the finest Murano glass to craft their iconic ‘made-to-measure' mosaic art.
Orsoni 1888
Boasting the last operational furnace in Venice, Orsoni 1888 looks ahead to a future as brilliant, pure and magical as the mosaics themselves. Carefully hand-picked from a Colour Library of over 3,500 coloured tiles, vibrant and elegant Orsoni mosaics can be enjoyed the world over, and in Venice from the extraordinary Basilica San Marco to The Gritti SPA.
MICHELE GIUMAN
Master of Colour at Orsoni
Creating the colours and glazes is the most satisfying and precise part of my work. You have to be very careful creating the glazes with oxides because any mistakes affect the final colour. However when the shade comes out perfectly I feel a true sense of achievement.
MICHELE GIUMAN
Is mosaic making linked to Venice?
Of course! In the past the furnaces were all in Venice, then they moved to Murano, because the houses could be set on fire. It is a great source of pride that the furnace we have here at Orsoni is the only one left in Venice.
MANUELA BONICELLI
Mosaic Artist at Orsoni
The camaraderie here at Orsoni allows me to always encourage my fellow artisans to give their best. Everyone is constantly striving to improve. Being able to create exactly what I see in my mind's eye gives me immense pride. I don't know what I would have been if not a Mosaic Artist, it is the perfect fit for me. In my opinion artisans will always be important because we have the unique ability to realise the dreams of our clients.
MANUELA BONICELLI
What is the most satisfying part of your craft?
I love cutting the gold tiles of various sizes so they come out to perfection, though engraving the tiles and splitting them by hand requires the most concentration. There is always something new to learn in my profession, we are always trying to improve our skill.
Artefact Mosaic Studio
In the heart of Venice's Castello district, Artefact Mosaic Studio challenges the very idea of mosaic art, using contemporary design, their own unique style and the knowledge handed down through generations to evolve a craft millennia old into something fresh and beautiful. The foundations for their beautifully inventive and unique modern style are rooted in the value of handcraft and the search for beauty.
ALESSANDRA DI GENNARO
Master Mosaic Artist
For me it was a complete coincidence. I was living in Rome, studying at university and working for a contemporary artist, when a friend of mine discovered a small historic mosaic workshop. I started taking lessons there, and the more I discovered about the mosaic craft, the more passionate I became. I then set my sights on the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli, where I met Romuald. We studied together, we graduated together, so naturally we opened our studio here in Venice together.
ALESSANDRA DI GENNARO
What is the most meditative part of your process?
Each mosaic project has a very long meditative path, from receiving a photograph or a painting, and then trying to mimic but also enrich the same image in mosaic form. Checking my work at the end of the day is a particularly contemplative part of my process.
ROMUALD MESDAGH
Master Mosaic Artist
Mosaic in Venice has a rich history and boasts great names, like Salviati, and Facchina who invented a special mosaic technique just for the Opera Garnier in Paris. Venetian Mosaic artisans were specially called to work on St. Peter's in Rome. Even if things have changed since the Serenissima, Venice continues to be a worldwide centre for mosaics, and Venetian mosaic artisans have spread across the globe.
ROMUALD MESDAGH
What inspires you in Venice?
Everything! Everything is beautiful. Craftsmanship in Venice can be seen at the corner of every calle and campo. This city, standing on poles and mud, is still standing to this day thanks to genius artisans, craftsmen and builders. It instills in me a desire to follow this tradition.