How did Palaeologian Renaissance mosaics change the use of colour and tessera size in Byzantine art?

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Bird mosaic — mosaic Mosaic floor fragment from a synagogue or church, cut stone with mortar from Israel, late 5th–6th century ce; in the Jewish Museum, New York City.

During the Palaeologian Renaissance (1261–1453), mosaicists significantly refined their techniques to align with the era's new humanistic and three-dimensional artistic trends. These changes included:

Tessera Size: The size of the tesserae generally became smaller than in previous epochs, allowing for greater detail and fluidity in design. In the case of portable icons, artists used extremely small tesserae, some measuring less than 0.04 inch (1 mm) square.1
Use of Colour: Colour was reintroduced with a refined and intense sensibility, often drawing inspiration from Early Christian models. This shift helped move away from rigid contours, which became thinner or were occasionally abolished entirely to support a more vivacious and tragic sense of pathos.1

These technical adjustments, alongside a renewed interest in optical effects and light, are exemplified in masterpieces such as the Deësis panel in the Hagia Sophia and the decorations within the Kariye Cami.1