No wealthy young man’s education in the eighteenth-century was complete without the Grand Tour. The Grand Tour was a months long tour of sites of classical antiquity for study and popular locations included Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Middle East. In 1738, the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum prompted a rush of eager visitors to marvel at the ancient ruins. In response to Grand Tour visitors, the Vatican Studio revived micromosaics (mosaic in piccolo) as a commercial venture to produce souvenirs. The change from using stone to using colored glass for mosaic designs raised micro-mosaics to new levels of artistry .The variety of glass colors produced meant that these mosaic compositions took on a painterly aspect. Micromosaics were applied to numerous objects, from small objects like boxes and jewelry, to large objects like furniture. Sometimes the micro mosaic was simply framed as a picture. Signed pieces and those with Vatican Studio provenance are the most sought after.
Lapis lazuli box with micro mosaic mounted in gold. Mercury charming Argus. Rome. Ca. 1820
Maker: Mascelli, Luigi. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain
Lapis Lazuli box with micro mosaic of the Coliseum, Rome mounted in gold. Unknown Maker. Italy 1800-1820. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain
Table top: Glass tesserae with marble, lapis lazuli, and malachite. Nine views of Rome. Italy. 1830-1850. Dimensions: 23 1/2 Diameter. RSID, Rhode Island.
Detail of table top. St. Peter’s The Vatican. RSID Rhode Island.