A Half Hour a Day

I realized this morning I should have given a bit more info so you could truly appreciate the mosaic shot that I posted last night.   There are several mosaics on the wall inside Cinderella’s Castle.  The shot I posted yesterday is a tiny close-up of one piece of one of the scenes.  Here are two of the mosaics in their entirety:

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about these mosaics:

Inside the Castle’s archway, a series of five mosaic murals tells the story of Cinderella. Designed by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond and crafted and set in place by a team of six artists led by mosaicist Hanns-Joachim Scharff, the 15 by 10 foot (4.6×3 m), ornate panels are shaped in a Gothic arch. The murals took 22 months to complete, and contain just over 300,000 pieces of Italian glass and rough smalti (glass made specifically for mosaics traditionally used by Italian craftsmen) in over 500 colors. Many of the hand-cut tiles are fused with sterling silver and 14 carat (58%) gold, and some are as small as the head of a tack. If you look closely at these ornate murals, you will notice that each of Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters appears with a little added color – one sister’s face is clearly “red with anger,” while the other sister is a little “green with envy,” as they watch Cinderella try on the glass slipper.

Note:  Other sources claim it took more than two years, and over one million tiles.  Can’t find a “straight from Disney” answer.  Will keep looking.

They are incredible pieces of art, and my photos do them no justice at all.  The play of the light on the gold is quite stunning in person.  Just another one of those amazing details that make Disney Disney.