Exceptional large micromosaic of St Peter's Basilica, Rome

The art of micromosaic making involves the use of minute tiles, known as 'tesserae', to make a composition that appears to have the fineness and attention to detail of a painting. This magnificent mosaic is not only unusually large in size, but features many tens-of-thousands of minute tesserae, making it one of the finest examples of the craft.

Of rectangular form, the micromosaic panel depicts a 19th Century view over St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, the very heart of the Catholic Church, which is bathed under a glorious blue sky. Small groups of people, some in horse-drawn carriages, can be seen milling about in the central space. The square is enclosed by curved rows of columns and dwarfed by the vast magnificence of St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican which dominate the composition.

The micromosaic is set in an elegant frame of ebonised wood, and features robust supports and hanging devices to the reverse.