Chi è la più bella del reame? (Who's the most beautiful of all?)

This is not the first time I feature a mosaic mirror on Mosaicology. Mosaic mirrors are a particular case as they combine small dimension, art and functionality in ways that no other medium can. Why? Only mosaic can "play" with the reflections of light. And this mirror here is the perfect demonstration of this. Notice the glimmering effect of the golden tiles and tell me if this can be achieved by another artistic medium (oops, does that sound too challenging?)

This stunning mirror is a work by mosaic artist Ariel, one of my twitter followers. She has two children.

This mosaic stands out for the wise combination of colours and the curved surface that makes this mirror an absolute stunner for your wall in any room of the house but especially the bedroom considering the combination of dark tiles and shiny ones that would add sparkle to a dimly lit room.

The tiles she used are of various sizes and she has managed to achieve wonderful light reflections by setting the tesserae (tiles) on a curved surface. This is an intelligent way to actually "make up for" the compromised effect of a mosaic made the direct way where there's no play with light. The Byzantines made spectacular glimmering mosaic vaults and walls in their basilicas because they mastered the technique of setting the tesserae (tiles) in ways to reflect light from the windows.

I have a penchant for anything unusual as long as it's pleasing to the senses and provided it embodies the aesthetic values that we have inherited throughout the ages. This mosaic fits the pattern.

I hope you will like this mirror as much as I do. Comments more than welcome. I will make sure Ariel gets them!

Ariel's website HERE