Mosaic Heritage: An AI-Powered Interdisciplinary Database of Czech Mosaic Artworks (MOHER)
Provider: Evropská unie
Programme: European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH)
Implementation period: 01.04.26 - 31.03.27
Workplace:
Fakulta restaurování - Katedra humanitních věd FR
Investigator: Míchalová Zdeňka
Description:
The main goal of this project is to develop and make publicly accessible a modern, user-friendly, and interdisciplinary database of mosaic artworks in the Czech Republic. It will serve as a model for managing and presenting cultural heritage data, integrating art history, conservation, restoration, and materials science. This will be the first such database in the country, merging diverse expert datasets into a comprehensive system, allowing for advanced AI-assisted analysis—such as search, comparison, and data summarization. The data will include texts, photographs, location info, analysis results, and certified restoration methods. The project will unfold in four phases: (1) collecting and evaluating data sources, (2) designing the database structure and schemas, (3) integrating AI tools for dynamic interaction, and (4) launching a pilot version. It will build on an existing Czech-language mosaic database, expanded with newly curated data. The database targets professional communities in: • Art history (especially 19th–20th century specialists), • Heritage conservation and mosaic restoration, • Materials science focused on glass degradation. It will also benefit cultural institutions, museums, and tourism organizations, supporting mosaic identification, documentation, and preservation, and promoting research in this often-overlooked field. The database will offer metadata on individual mosaics—e.g., location, authorship, technique, condition, and historical background—along with texts on mosaic studios in the Czech lands, glass production history, and international material trade (Italy, Germany, Austria, and Czech exports since the 1950s). These texts will draw from the English publication Czech Glass Mosaic: History, Technology, Catalogue of Exterior Works. The project adds value by preserving a specialized art form and enabling academic collaboration. It will include unique examples such as the Last Judgment mosaic on St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague—an unmatched medieval mosaic in Central and Western Europe. The final English-language database will offer extensive records and context, with AI tools for both experts and the public. It will raise awareness of mosaics as a vital part of European visual and architectural heritage. Promotion will take place through ECCHC and user collaboration will continuously enrich the platform.
The main goal of this project is to develop and make publicly accessible a modern, user-friendly, and interdisciplinary database of mosaic artworks in the Czech Republic. It will serve as a model for managing and presenting cultural heritage data, integrating art history, conservation, restoration, and materials science. This will be the first such database in the country, merging diverse expert datasets into a comprehensive system, allowing for advanced AI-assisted analysis—such as search, comparison, and data summarization. The data will include texts, photographs, location info, analysis results, and certified restoration methods. The project will unfold in four phases: (1) collecting and evaluating data sources, (2) designing the database structure and schemas, (3) integrating AI tools for dynamic interaction, and (4) launching a pilot version. It will build on an existing Czech-language mosaic database, expanded with newly curated data. The database targets professional communities in: • Art history (especially 19th–20th century specialists), • Heritage conservation and mosaic restoration, • Materials science focused on glass degradation. It will also benefit cultural institutions, museums, and tourism organizations, supporting mosaic identification, documentation, and preservation, and promoting research in this often-overlooked field. The database will offer metadata on individual mosaics—e.g., location, authorship, technique, condition, and historical background—along with texts on mosaic studios in the Czech lands, glass production history, and international material trade (Italy, Germany, Austria, and Czech exports since the 1950s). These texts will draw from the English publication Czech Glass Mosaic: History, Technology, Catalogue of Exterior Works. The project adds value by preserving a specialized art form and enabling academic collaboration. It will include unique examples such as the Last Judgment mosaic on St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague—an unmatched medieval mosaic in Central and Western Europe. The final English-language database will offer extensive records and context, with AI tools for both experts and the public. It will raise awareness of mosaics as a vital part of European visual and architectural heritage. Promotion will take place through ECCHC and user collaboration will continuously enrich the platform.
