Micro mosaics; Grand Tour, Rome, c. 1830.

Micro mosaics; Grand Tour, Rome, c. 1830.
Mosaic,
Measurements: 54 x 42 cm (x3); 76 x 64 cm (frame, x3).
Set composed of three mosaics representing different emblematic monuments of Rome. One of the elements represented evokes the majestic St. Peter's Square. The others refer to the Temple of Hercules Victor, located in the historic Forum Boarium in Rome, whose circular and classicist architecture introduces a reference to pagan antiquity, establishing a suggestive dialogue between the classical legacy and the Christian tradition.
The art of micromosaic was born in the Vatican to face the deterioration of its collection of paintings. Realizing that architectural mosaics retained their color over time, the papal workshops began experimenting with the technique of glass mosaic to reproduce the masterpieces. The Vatican kept the secret of the formula that allowed an exact reproduction with micromosaics whose lack of brightness and chromatic quality made the copy indistinguishable from the original painting. Already in the 19th century, private workshops began to proliferate in Rome in response to the demand of the tourist market. Commercial mosaics became available in a variety of decorative pieces. Many of them are preserved in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, in the Gilbert Collection in London and in the Vatican itself.