Coptic art is known for its religious icons and ancient textiles, mostly found in churches and monasteries around the country. The Coptic museum in Cairo houses a wide and beautiful collection of such textiles. This mosaic is an interpretation of the original textile dating back to the 4th/5th century BC, currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Gold smalti, coloured smalti. March – April 2012

The Greco/Roman influence on the early Christian era in Egypt can be seen through the ancient collection of Coptic textile pieces. This mosaic is an interpretation of the original collection at the Louvre Museum and dates back to the 6th Century BC. Gold smalti, coloured smalti, glass beads. January – February 2012

This piece is another mosaic interpretation of an ancient Coptic textile, dating back to the 4th Century BC. This textile is particularly interesting due to the nature of its contemporary design. Gold smalti, coloured smalti. October – November 2011

In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic language, this symbol, also known as ‘Ankh’ represented the concept of eternal life. Here, one can see the influence of Pharaonic art on Coptic imagery during that time. Until today, this symbol is used as a sign of good luck and can be seen in many different designs around the world. Gold smalti, coloured smalti, murano millefiori, glass beads. June 2012

Bastet was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. This mosaic depicts a contemporary twist to an otherwise ancient scene. The glass mosaics on the lady’s crown were carefully selected and custom-made by UK-based mosaic artist Martin Cheek to give a colourful and rich effect to the piece. Martin Cheek mosaics, gold smalti, coloured smalti, murano millefiori, vitreous glass, stained glass. October 2012

Ancient Egyptian tombs were covered with wall paintings depicting joyful scenes of life after death. The MET in New York houses accurate copies of such scenes, exact in line and colour as the original ones. This piece is a mosaic interpretation of the original painting that makes part of a series of wall paintings now on display at the museum. Gold smalti, coloured smalti, vitreous glass, murano millefiori, Bisazza glass mosaics, Egyptian scarab. May 2013

To the Ancient Egyptians, the Tree of Life demonstrated the order and method of creation – the chain of events that brought everything into existence. This mosaic piece is a direct interpretation of the original drawing by Marcus Blackden in 1891. The drawing comes from one of the walls of tomb Khnumhoteb located in Beni Hassan, approximately 20km south of Menya. Coloured smalti, murano millefiori, Egyptian glass ornaments. January – February 2014

A common scene in many ancient Egyptian tombs was the ‘Banquet Scene’ – one in which the tomb-owner is shown surrounded by his friends enjoying the presence of food, wine, music and dancing. This piece is a mosaic interpretation of a small segment of the original found in the tomb of a scribe called Nebamun. It is now displayed at the British Museum in London. Gold smalti, coloured smalti, murano millefiori, Bizassa glass mosaics. April 2013

Egypt is well known for its Islamic art and architecture, especially in its capital Cairo. Also known as “the city of 1000 minarets”, many of Cairo’s ancient mosques are decorated with tiles of this sort. These pieces are a mosaic interpretation of the original tile currently displayed at the Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Coloured smalti, murano millefiori, Egyptian glass ornaments. February – March 2013