Antique Italian micromosaic plaque in ormolu frame

This expertly executed micromosaic plaque dates from circa 1810, at the height of the 19th Century fashion for collecting micromosaics. Micromosaics, and mosaic fragments from antiquity, were fashionable souvenirs which would be collected by aristocratic men on their Grand Tour of Europe in the 18th and 19th Centuries. The ancient mosaics inspired skilled 19th Century craftsmen to make fine micromosaics, such as in this example, and they soon became highly desirable. However, most micromosaics produced were small depictions, given the skill and time required to complete even minute detail in micromosaic. As such, this plaque is exceptionally rare given its large size. The work is in excellent condition and beautifully exemplifies the quality of craftsmanship prevalent in Italy at the time.

The micromosaic plaque is of rectangular form and depicts a mother and child seated on a grassy bank in a landscape in front of ancient temple ruins, with buildings and mountains in the background. It is set inside a rectangular ormolu frame, with dimensions as follows:

Plaque: Height 26.5cm, width 32.5cm
Frame: Height 32.5cm, width 38cm, depth 3.5cm