Picture
1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The landscape and natural waterfalls of the Italian mountain town of Tivoli were great attractions to tourists in the 19th century. Among the many ancient ruins nearby was the villa of Hadrian, the ancient Roman Emperor, with its famous mosaic floor, which was uncovered in 1737.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Micromosaic, gilt wood frame |
| Brief description | Micromosaic view of Tivoli, Giovanni Morelli, Rome, c. 1825. |
| Physical description | Rectangular micromosaic depicting a view of Tivoli and the Marmora Falls. The mountain town can be seen in the upper right and in the lower foreground the cascading river with two figures in peasant costume. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Signed on lower left 'Gio.Morelli Fece 1820' |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Antique Lovers Coterie, 1971. Historical significance: Tivoli was in the region known as Tibur in the period of the Roman Republic. Named after Tiburnus (circa 500 BC) the Tiburtines were defeated by the Romans at Lake Regillus in 498 BC. Forty years later the town became a place of exile for important prisoners of state. The Tiburtines were given citizenship in 90BC and the town became a fashionable retreat. Giovanni Morelli was born in Brescia in 1804 and studied with the famous micromosaic artist Giacomo Raffaelli. Morelli worked at the Vatican under Napoleon (1804-9). |
| Historical context | The scene depicts the Italian mountain town of Tivoli and the Marmora Falls on the Velino River. Tourists were as intrigued by these natural wonders as by the ancient Roman ruins at Tivoli including the villa of the Emperor Hadrian and the Temple of the Sibyl. The famous floor mosaic of the Capitoline Doves was discovered at Hadrian's Villa in 1737. |
| Summary | The landscape and natural waterfalls of the Italian mountain town of Tivoli were great attractions to tourists in the 19th century. Among the many ancient ruins nearby was the villa of Hadrian, the ancient Roman Emperor, with its famous mosaic floor, which was uncovered in 1737. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. |
| Bibliographic reference | Avery, Charles, assisted by Arthur Emperatori. Mosaics from the Gilbert Collection: summary catalogue. Exhibition catalogue Victoria & Albert Museum. London: H.M.S.O. 1975, cat. no. 21. |
| Other numbers |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.226:1, 2-2008 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
