Founded in 1847, Franz Mayer of Munich is a company specialising in the development and production of glass for international art and architectural projects, spanning traditional to avantgarde artworks and techniques.

In 1995, Brian Clarke designed a floor mosaic in Venetian glass and hand-cut smalti, which was installed in the Munich studio in 1996, known as the Mayer'sche Hofkunstanstalt. The artwork is located at the bottom of a wooden spiral staircase.