bronze door

Unlike the indirect method, this method results in a work with an irregular surface, since the individual mosaic elements are not mounted in the same direction and at the same height - in some cases, a necessary condition for the successful outcome of the project as such. The direct method on a mesh base involves directly applying every tessera on a flexible support (a specific mesh) using cement mortar; when this preparatory work is completed, the various modules are then installed on site. This method combines the advantages of both techniques: in short, the project can be performed in the workshop at the same time as retaining - in terms of execution - the freshness and irregularity characteristic of the direct technique.

Only when this work is completed is the mosaic taken to the installation site, where it is installed using cement mortars on a pre-prepared plaster base. This method means that the task can be performed in the workshop rather than on site, with significant cost savings. The direct method sees the mosaic composed directly on the final site. The plaster base in this case is unfinished and every single element is set in position using cement mortar. The individual pieces are arranged in relation to the artist's life-size design, working from bottom to top.

When using the indirect method, the artist must prepare the life-size model draft back-to-front by inverting the figures compared to initial draft. This allows the master craftsmen who "build" the mosaic to split the life-size model into several parts and create the mosaic itself by fitting every single "tessera" on the mock-up using a specific bonding agent.