Micro-mosaic

Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Italy around 1750

Detail of the portrait

Micromosaic Forum Romanum, dated 1857, 20 × 28 cm

Micro-mosaic is a special form of mosaic made from tiny pieces of glass or enamel- like material.

history

Micro-mosaics were made in ancient Greece, including by Sosos . The religious representations ( icons ) of Byzantine art are among the finest with the smallest glass particles, but are very rare. During the Renaissance , they were made in Italy. From 1576 mosaic replicas for St. Peter's Basilica were made in the Vatican workshops . From 1790, due to a lack of orders for large mosaics, this technique was revived in the Vatican workshops (see web links for videos) and used for the production of jewelry items for tourists. In addition to religious representations based on paintings and vedute in the archaeological style. In addition to being used as jewelry , micro-mosaics were also applied to snuff boxes, other containers and small furniture. The best pieces have 500 to 750 pieces per cm², but are very rare.

In porcelain painting , the micromosaic technique has been imitated by drawing fine lines over the scenes. The representations are predominantly vedute and symbolic motifs .

Micro mosaic jewelry

Wearing micro-mosaic jewelry was popular among wealthy travelers to Italy to historical sites in cultural objects from the 17th to 19th centuries. Representations with Italian vedute such as the Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, etc., but also Roman mythological scenes were preferred. You could commission your own motifs. This fashion ended around 1870.

literature

• Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel: The Gilbert Collection - Micromosaics . Phillip Wilson, London 2000, ISBN 0-85667-511-3 .
• Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel, Angelo Gabriel: Micromosaics: Private Collections. Brian McCarthy 2016, ISBN 978-1-5136-1259-1 .

Web links

Commons : Micromosaics  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Video from the TV show Kunst und Krempel of the Bavarian Radio
• Video from the TV show Kunst und Krempel of the Bavarian Radio
• Video from the TV show Kunst und Krempel of the Bavarian Radio
• Roman micro-mosaics
• Micro-mosaics from the Gilbert Collection in London
• Micro-mosaics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
• How is a micro-mosaic made? on YouTube (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Edmund C. Ryder: Micro Mosaic Icons of the Late Byzantine period . New York University Dissertation, New York 2007 (Byzantine Icons).
2. ^ Museum Bargello In: florentinermuseen.com
3. ↑ Diana Scarisbrick, Takayuki Tōyama: Historic rings: four thousand years of craftsmanship . Kodansha International, 2004, ISBN 4-7700-2540-8 . , Google books
4. ^ Samuel Wittwer : Refinement & Elegance . Hirmer Verlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-7774-3465-0 , p. 190-211 .