Handmade mosaic, print or cast: how to tell them apart before you spend
At Via Cavour 280, a five-minute walk from the Colosseum, the question before a serious purchase is simple: is it really made by hand? Here is how a handmade mosaic, a print and a cast differ, what to ask in any shop in Rome, and what our catalogue declares about the one mosaic we sell.
What a handmade mosaic is
A mosaic is an image built from tesserae, small pieces of stone or glass set one by one into mortar or adhesive. Each is cut by hand, traditionally with the martellina, a two-edged hammer, over the tagliolo, a blade fixed in a block, so no two come out identical and the joints run irregular. On an unpolished surface every tessera sits at its own small angle. The full story is in our handmade mosaics guide.
The print that imitates it, and the three-second test
A print with a mosaic pattern, or a moulded panel with a tesserae texture, is made in one piece. One: look at it from the side under a lamp: a print returns one flat reflection, an unpolished mosaic many small ones that shift as you move. Two: hunt for repetition. Printed tesserae tend to sit on a regular grid; hand-cut ones vary in size and outline. Three: feel the weight. A panel that size weighing almost nothing is not stone.
What a cast is, and why reproduction statues are cast
Resin reproduction statues are cast: a mould is taken from a model, the material is poured in, and every copy comes out with the same form and is then finished, often by hand. What matters is the declared material. Our Michelangelo's David (€155) and the hand-finished Julius Caesar bust (€100) are bronze-effect resin, made in Italy; the war chariot in ivory and gold (€1,235) is resin with an aged ivory finish; Lady Justice (€615) is declared bronze and resin, 75 cm high. Other pieces declare other materials: the scutum (€205) is hand-painted, the collector centurion helmet (€190) is polished steel.
The questions to ask before you spend
Ask them in any shop, ours included.
- Handmade or printed? If the answer takes a paragraph, that is the answer.
- What are the tesserae made of?
- Cast or carved, and what was done by hand afterwards?
- Where is it declared as made, and is it stamped or signed? Ask to see the mark.
- Is it old? Nothing on this site is an antique: statues and arms are reproductions, the mosaic is a modern handmade piece.
- What does it weigh? It decides the wall fixing and the shipping.
Our mosaic: Roma SPQR, and what the catalogue declares
The only mosaic we sell is the Roma SPQR mosaic (€4,750, the site price, at least 5% below Etsy). The catalogue declares: handmade stone mosaic with 24-karat gold leaf, 28x36 cm, framed and ready to hang, with the SPQR shield and the word ROMA. Its origin is declared on the piece as Made in the Vatican, stamped and signed by the artist. That makes it the one exception in our catalogue: everything else is made in Italy, statues and busts by Italfama, blades and other pieces by Italian artisan workshops, while Vatican City is a separate state.
Why it costs what it costs
The price of a handmade mosaic is mostly hours: tesserae are cut and set one at a time, gold leaf costs more than plain stone, and a framed panel needs a frame and a rigid support. A printed panel the same size costs a fraction. If you want the image of Rome rather than the craft, the rest of our catalogue starts at €33.
Come and run the test yourself
The mosaic is at Via Cavour 280, about 350 metres from the Colosseum, open every day from 10:00 to 20:00: stand in front of it and step sideways. Online, pickup in store is free; shipping is free in Italy (2–4 working days), €20 to the European Union (3–7 working days) and €50 to selected international countries (6–14 working days), with 14 days to return it.
Common questions
How do I tell a handmade mosaic from a print in three seconds?
Look at it from the side under a light: a print gives one flat reflection, an unpolished mosaic many small ones. Then look for a regular grid, and feel the weight.
Is the Roma SPQR mosaic an antique?
No. It is a modern handmade piece in stone with 24-karat gold leaf, 28x36 cm, framed, declared on the piece as Made in the Vatican, stamped and signed by the artist.
How thick is it and what does it weigh?
The catalogue states 28x36 cm, framed, but no thickness or weight, and we will not invent them. Ask us and we will measure it.
Are your statues solid bronze?
The resin ones are not: “bronze effect” is a surface finish. The David and the Caesar bust are bronze-effect resin; the 75 cm Lady Justice is declared bronze and resin.
Every piece in this guide lives in the boutique at Via Cavour 280, 5 min walk from the Colosseum — visit us, or order online.
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