A small piece of stone, glass, ceramic, or other material used to create a mosaic, typically cut into cubic or rectangular shapes.
From Latin tessera, meaning 'a small cube' or 'token,' derived from Greek tessares meaning 'four' (referring to the four sides). Originally used for voting tokens and theater tickets before becoming the standard term for mosaic pieces.
Each tessera in a Byzantine mosaic was individually hand-cut and often tilted at slightly different angles to catch light differently—this technique called 'opus vermiculatum' created the shimmering, almost alive quality you see in places like Ravenna's basilicas! The size of tesserae also indicated status: the smaller and more precisely cut, the more expensive and prestigious the mosaic.
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