Large Italian micromosaic plaque after Raphael

This superbly wrought micromosaic plaque is after Raphael’s Madonna della seggiola—or, the “Madonna of the chair”. The plaque, circular in form in keeping with Raphael’s original, is intricately composed of vibrantly coloured and almost imperceptibly small tesserae. Raphael’s painting, today housed in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, was executed in 1514, and depicts Mary gently holding Christ, while behind both gazes the infant John the Baptist. The composition is wonderfully composed, designed about the scheme of a compact circular arrangement. From his own day until well into the 19^th Century, Raphael was considered the premier artist in the canon, and his works served as the subjects of many later reproductions, finding particular favour among micromosaicists.

Micromosaics were especially popular in Italy during the 19^th Century. The present example, drawing as it does on the Italian artistic tradition, is a superb example of the craft. Moreover, the present piece is unusually large, granting it even greater gravitas.

The plaque is contained within a beautifully carved and shaped mahogany frame, the warm tone of which subtly accents the primary unadulterated blues, greens, yellows, and reds of the micromosaic panel held within.

Frame: Height 55cm, width 55cm, depth 5cm
Plaque: Diameter 36cm, depth 1.5cm