Italian micromosaic brooch. Rome, late 19th century-early 20th century.

Italian micromosaic brooch. Rome, late 19th century-early 20th century.
Brooch in the Roman tradition with very fine tesserae ("filati enamel") depicting a classical architectural view, all mounted in 9k gold. Pin clasp.
Measurements: 4,1 x 5,2 cm.

Where mosaic art had the greatest incision was in the reproduction of urban scenes that were part of the Grand Tour routes. The art of the micromosaic blossomed during the 18th and 19th centuries. The term was coined by Sir Arthur Gilbert to refer to mosaics made with small pieces of enamel.

The art of micromosaic was born in the Vatican to cope with the deterioration of its collection of paintings. Realizing that architectural mosaics retained their color over time, the papal workshops began experimenting with the glass mosaic technique 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.