Picture
1850-1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This micromosaic is after the painting Tigress Lying Below Rocks (c.1780) by the British painter George Stubbs (1724-1806). When demand for Roman mosaic production declined, Venetian mosaic craftsmanship took the lead again as it developed some fundamentally new approaches and technologies. Stubb's painting was published as an engraving by John Dixon in 1772, which is probably how the Venetian mosaicist Decio Podio made this remarkable copy.
It is thought that Decio Podio was related to Enrico Podio, artistic director of the private Venetian firm, Salviati & Compagnia. Their large mosaics factory gained an international clientele and produced a large quantity of mosaics for the new South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The Tigress is one of the earliest micromosaics acquired by Arthur Gilbert. It came from a dealer in San Francisco who confirmed in writing that 'it was purchased directly from the man who made it, by the mother of the present owner, just prior to the turn of the century'. Interestingly at that time, there was no antiques market for mosaics and the dealer admitted, 'I have never seen anything like this before in my life, what do you think it is worth?' To which Arthur replied 'You can't ask me, I am a buyer'. They agreed upon a price and The Tigress was proudly hung above the fireplace of the Gilberts' home until it was moved to Somerset House.
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.
It is thought that Decio Podio was related to Enrico Podio, artistic director of the private Venetian firm, Salviati & Compagnia. Their large mosaics factory gained an international clientele and produced a large quantity of mosaics for the new South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The Tigress is one of the earliest micromosaics acquired by Arthur Gilbert. It came from a dealer in San Francisco who confirmed in writing that 'it was purchased directly from the man who made it, by the mother of the present owner, just prior to the turn of the century'. Interestingly at that time, there was no antiques market for mosaics and the dealer admitted, 'I have never seen anything like this before in my life, what do you think it is worth?' To which Arthur replied 'You can't ask me, I am a buyer'. They agreed upon a price and The Tigress was proudly hung above the fireplace of the Gilberts' home until it was moved to Somerset House.
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.
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| Materials and techniques | Micromosaic with carved, pierced, gilt frame |
| Brief description | Tigress, micromosaic, Venice, Decio Podio, 1880-1890. |
| Physical description | Rectangular micromosaic depicting a tigress, her head to the viewer's left, reclining on a rocky ledge in front of the entrance to a cave. The picture is signed in the lower left corner and is in a rectangular pierced and carved gilt frame. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signed lower left DECIO PODIO VENEZIA |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Blackwell Antique Gallery, San Francisco, 1974. Historical significance: The picture is based on a painting by George Stubbs which was engraved by John Dixon in 1772 as A Tigress A further mezzotint of the painting was published by John Murphy in 1798. The subject was the tigress given to George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough by Lord Clive, Governor of Bengal who arrived in March 1762 in the menagerie at Blenheim. The species shown is indeed an Indian or Bengal tigress with short fur and widely spaced stripes. Its small rounded head, short nose and lack of ruff indicate gender. An identical mosaic is in a private collection in Genoa |
| Historical context | Decio Podio was related to Enrico Podio, head mosaicist at the Basilica of St Mark's, and also artistic director of the Salviati mosaics firm in Venice from 1879 Venice. The picture was sold to Arthur Gilbert by a private resident of San Francisco who recorded in a letter dated 1974 that the mosaic was "of the late nineteenth century[... It] is in the original carved wood and gilded frame as purchased [in Venice] from the mosaicist who made it. It was purchased directly from the man who made it by the mother of the present owner just prior to the turn of the century." |
| Summary | This micromosaic is after the painting Tigress Lying Below Rocks (c.1780) by the British painter George Stubbs (1724-1806). When demand for Roman mosaic production declined, Venetian mosaic craftsmanship took the lead again as it developed some fundamentally new approaches and technologies. Stubb's painting was published as an engraving by John Dixon in 1772, which is probably how the Venetian mosaicist Decio Podio made this remarkable copy. It is thought that Decio Podio was related to Enrico Podio, artistic director of the private Venetian firm, Salviati & Compagnia. Their large mosaics factory gained an international clientele and produced a large quantity of mosaics for the new South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria & Albert Museum. The Tigress is one of the earliest micromosaics acquired by Arthur Gilbert. It came from a dealer in San Francisco who confirmed in writing that 'it was purchased directly from the man who made it, by the mother of the present owner, just prior to the turn of the century'. Interestingly at that time, there was no antiques market for mosaics and the dealer admitted, 'I have never seen anything like this before in my life, what do you think it is worth?' To which Arthur replied 'You can't ask me, I am a buyer'. They agreed upon a price and The Tigress was proudly hung above the fireplace of the Gilberts' home until it was moved to Somerset House. 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 references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.170:1, 2-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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