_history

“Tondat”, which is a company from Eeklo, consists of two departments:

On the one hand, “Romano & Nino Tondat”, specialized in marble, terrazzo, intarso-marquetery, milling and sculpture.
On the other hand, “Tondat Mosaïci”, specialized in mosaic and following the traditional methods.

Both departments are family businesses and have over 50 years of experience.

The company originates from Italy. In the Twenties, Santo, Romanos father, came to Belgium in order to work in the mines. But instead, he ended up working with an Italian contractor. Santo originated from Sequals in North Italy, not far from Udine. Sequals, together with the villages of Solimbergo and Spilimbergo, are the cradle of the terrazzieri, craftsmen who construct granito floors. Even the medieval houses in Sequals have such floors. Instead of little pieces of marble, flat cobbles are used. A lot of crafsmen emigrated from this region to Venice to construct the famous Venetian granito floors.

Granito goes way back. The Romans used to roll pebbles in mortar, which were polished after the mortar was hardened. This technique was brought to perfection in the fifteenth century. The terrazzieri used lime, pebbles, bricks and marble. In those days granito was considered inferior to mosaic. But in Venice even the most spacious palaces have granito floors. One of them is the Casa Rezzonico. You can find one the oldest floors in the church of Santa Maria Assunta in Torcello. One of the most beautiful floors is situated in the Armenian library of San Cazzaro. It has large pieces of marble designs, so that the granito resembles the mosaic. The floor was constructed in 1770.

“Dogespalace” has the largest floor. It is over 1200 square metres in area. It is a typical Venetian granito floor, because rather large pieces of marble have been put in. This floor was constructed in 1884 when the monument was restored. Still a lot of terrazzieri are working in Venice. They also restore old floors. When in our country an old floor is being broken down, he will be restored there with great care.

From the second half of last century onwards, a lot of terrazzieri emigrated. They even emigrated to New York and Saint Petersburg. At the beginning of this century a lot of them were working here in Belgium. Some of their descendants are still working here. The Cristofolis family works in Aalst, Brugge and Dendermonde. The Andrea family went to Berlin. The Berzoto family is active in Ghent.
Sometimes you can find their names on the floors.
Father Tondat worked with Italians in Bruges and Ghent, before he settled in Eeklo. When he got here in the Twenties, granito floors were very popular. Everyone who could afford, had such a floor. Granito was also used to floor huge spaces such as schools and cinemas.

In the Thirties people begon to show lack of interest. Quality as well became inferior.
Due to competition smaller pieces of marble were used increasingly. That is why the craftsmen had to cut less and had to work less as well. After the war a lot of Italian terrazzieri concentrated more on industrial concrete floors. A lot of knowledge was lost and a lot of mosaic workshops were closed. A few were able to keep their heads above water and rediscovered ancient techniques.
Romano Tondat had himself prepared for this revival by sending his son to Spilimbergo to learn the art of mosaic. Also more people got interested again.

It is only recently that people start to show interest in granito. Artists have always made granito tiles and granito staircases, but never complete floors. “Romano & Nino Tondat” specialize in Venetian granito with large unregular pieces of marble of 4 to 5 cm. The granito artists usually work with, consists of pieces of marble which are only ½ cm large. To put the granito into place is a huge work. In order to have a perfect result, the floor has to stay untouched for at least 14 days. Then it can be polished. In the early days the floors had to remain untouched for a longer period of time, because chalk was used instead of cement.

Firstly a concrete floor is being casted. Then on top of that floor, mortar with small pieces of natural stone is being put. These small pieces are being knocked in with an iron, called the “fero da bater”. Those stones are being rolled into the mortar and after some time the floor is being polished. The little wholes in the floor are being filled with liquid cement and are being polished over and over again until you have a smooth and shiny floor.

Granito easily breaks during the drying process due to several causes. The underground has an important role. A basement under the floor increases the risk. The floor has to dry long enough before it can be polished. Every single kind of marble creates a different kind of floor. A lot of hues are possible. Large floors are divided into parts with cupper pipings or mosaic. That last combination is very beautiful. That is how we meet the mosaic specialist Gino Tondat.

If you want to make a mosaic floor, you have to do a lot of preparations. An example is the new floor of the lobby of the Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts. It was a 14 month job. The mosaic is a copy of an existing floor which had to be removed. This huge work started with a detailled drawing. Everything was drawn backwards in actual size. The drawing was divided into thousands of sheets of paper, on top of which the little pieces of mosaic were glued upside down. All those sheets fit perfectly. The gigantic puzzle counts 2.250.000 pieces of marble. Every single piece is being cut to size with a sharp hammer on a tree-stump.

Alles werd op ware grootte in spiegelbeeld getekend. De tekening werd in duizenden vellen papier verdeeld, waarop de steentjes omgekeerd worden gelijmd met papsel. Die fragmenten passen feilloos in elkaar. De gigantische puzzel telt liefst 2.250.000 brokjes marmer. Elk stukje wordt manueel op maat gekapt met een scherpe hamer op een boomstronk, precies zoals vroeger.

The construction of a floor is not an easy job. The little pieces of mosaic are being glued on a concrete floor. After the paper has been removed, the small pieces of mosaic are being pointed and polished. Several times with a machine, just like a granito floor. The more you use brown soap, the more the floor will glean.

Gino also makes glass mosaics. For example: he restored the art nouveau glass mosaics of the Antwerp Zoo site office. These colourful glassmosaics were in such a bad shape that they couldn’t be restored. But because the pieces of glass left traces in the mortar, Gino was able to redraw the whole floor. Gino reconstructed everything with the original material, very small pieces of glass from large glass plates.
These glass plates are being made in Venice for centuries now.

Tondat has a lot to do. Sometimes he has to repair old mosaic floors, just like the magnificent floor of the ASLK-building in Brussels.
Nino Tondat had his training in Carrara, the Mecca of sculpture. That is where artists decorate marble tables with marquettery and inlaid work, also called intarso. Marquettery is a drawing filled with colourful pieces of marble.
Intarso are motives which are hewed out of a massive plate. Sometimes the marble is combined with granito. These tables are bought a lot recently.

Terrazzo

These floors are being casted and polished on the spot or prefabricated at the workshop. Depending on the kind of concept “Romano & Nino Tondat” is specialized in coarse-grain Venetian terrazzo floors. This is an improved way of decoration, in the course of which marble of 4 to 5 cm are being handled. Ordinary granito had granulates of only 1 cm.

Mostly the floors are being divided into parts in order to cope with the tension and shrinking phenomenon. Brass, marble strips (an innovation by “Romano & Nino Tondat”) or mosaic strips, possibly with elegant angular designs (the classic way) are used.
Terrazzo is also used in table tops, kitchen units, pillars, tombstones, tablets and so on.
Romano Tondat, the company’s founder, has over 50 years of experience.

Marquettery

“Romano & Nino Tondat” is specialized in real intarso. In contrast with the scagliolo technique, where the artist fills the milled marble with paste, “Romano & Nino Tondat” handles the intarso technique, where milled marble is being filled with another kind of marble. Mostly the intarso technique is used in dinner tables, coffee tables, wall panels and floor panels of the most various ornamental styles.
Nino Tondat took a 3-year training at Genelli Lorenzini in Carrara to master the intarso technique.

Milling and sculpture

Clients can choose between all kinds of styles and sizes, from figures to ornaments.
We are milling e.g. high pillars up to 4 m., vases, plates and so on.
A sculpture is made to order.
Nino Tondat learned how to make sculptures in Carrara and Paris.

Mosaic

“Tondat Mosaïci” is the top of the mosaic industry. The company knows every style of mosaic as well as for restoring as for designing new mosaic projects.
Mosaic is used to decorate floors, walls, tables and pillars. In short, everything the client desires.

Marble mosaic

Mosaic projects are created using little pieces of various kinds of marble. These mosaic pieces are cut according to a predetermined pattern. Then these pieces are placed in a particular form. They can be decorative or ornamental.

The architect and the artist determine the design, taking into account the function of the mosaic floor.
A mosaic floor is like a stone carpet, but it has a lot more uses. A lot depends on the artist’s fantasy.
Tables, pillars or fountains with mosaic motives can add an extra dimension to a particular space.
Other possibilities are wall decorations, going from ancient Roman mosaics to company logos.
Whether you want a Roman, Arabic, classic or modern style, “Tondat Mosaïci” knows its facts and can give you the best advice.

“Tondat Mosaïci” realized a mosaic floor in the Antwerp Royal Museum of Fine Arts: over 450m² manual cleaved marble mosaic, 1.470.000 pieces, 20.000 men hours and 11 tons of marble were needed.
But are not always huge projects. “Tondat Mosaïci” has also restored a lot of small art nouveau mosaic floors. See photo gallery.

Glass mosaic

Glass mosaic has its greatest influences in the Byzantine era. Religious mosaics such as the Aya Sophia in Istanbul, San Appolinare Nuovo in Ravenna or the huge mosque in Cordoba are a few examples.

Glass mosaic also varies in a thousand colours.

In the Art Nouveau period ‘smalti’ was used a lot.

“Tondat Mosaïci” restored e.g. the face of the Antwerp Zoo. Most mosaic was largely gone but they were reconstructed by imitating the prints of the little stones in the mortar layer. Afterwards 70m² of fine glass and gold leaf mosaics were meticulously renewed. 4 men spent one year and a half doing this enormous work.

Glass mosaic is used by “Tondat Mosaïci” for all kinds of designs and applications. See photos.

“Tondat Mosaïci”
Kaaistraat 34
B-9900 EEKLO

Tel.:09/377.85.73
Fax:09/378.16.63