Courtier and Lady
Picture
ca. 1880-1920 (made)
ca. 1880-1920 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
More than any other mosaic in the Gilbert Collection, this conversation piece is a work of extremes. The execution is excellent, whilst the subject-matter is very much indebted to a sentimentalist fashion that might not appeal to every 21st century observer. The theme of an ageing man flirting with a young girl was a popular one from the second half of the 19th century. In this mosaic, the young girl appears to have been surprised reading a potentially compromising letter. The work depicts the figure in a setting with clothes that are inspired by 18th-century rococo, whilst its counterpart in the Gilbert Collection (LOAN:GILBERT.879-2008) evokes the style of the 17th century. Both scenes have very theatrical undertones that seem to owe much to the various waves of baroque and rococo revival from around 1900 and are not strict reconstructions of a previous era. The woman's face is very similar in both mosaics, and her dress is comparable to other examples of the playful use of rococo motifs during the first decades of the 20th century that were equally important for theatre, film and fashion.
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
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| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
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| Title | Courtier and Lady |
| Materials and techniques | Micromosaic,hardstone, painted and giltwood |
| Brief description | Mosaic picture of courtier and lady, Rome, circa 1900 |
| Physical description | Micromosaic depicting a young girl and an elderly man in interior and costume inspired by eighteenth-century rococo examples. Both figures are standing, the gentleman holds a walking stick in his right hand and turns towards the lady who stands with her back to him, her hands holding fan and resting on the back of an armchair. Some sheets of paper are on the floor in front of her. The mosaic is set in a slate frame and backing; the rectangular ebonised and giltwood frame probably contemporary with mosaic. |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Marvin Newman, Los Angeles, 1965 (invoice dated 27/01/1966). |
| Historical context | Micromosaics have their roots in the larger mosaics of ancient Rome used to decorate their walls and floors. The first micromosaics were created in the 18th century, but it was not until Arthur Gilbert himself became interested in collecting them and invented the term 'micromosaics' that they became known as such. The tesserae are minute pieces cut from thin pieces of glass known as smalti filati, and some of the finest micomosaics can consist of as many as 5,000 tesserae per square inch (ca. 3 by 3cm). By the late 18th century Rome had become central to the production of micromosaics and sold them as souvenirs to wealthy foreigners visiting the city. From small elegant snuffboxes to large monumental tabletops, micromosaics could be used to decorate objects of all shapes and sizes. They could even be made to resemble full-sized canvas paintings. This mosaic is one of two; the first ever purchased for the Gilbert Collection. Arthur Gilbert mistook them for paintings, and when he brought it home to show his wife, he had to convince her that it was not in fact a cracked painting, as she supposed, but a mosaic. |
| Summary | More than any other mosaic in the Gilbert Collection, this conversation piece is a work of extremes. The execution is excellent, whilst the subject-matter is very much indebted to a sentimentalist fashion that might not appeal to every 21st century observer. The theme of an ageing man flirting with a young girl was a popular one from the second half of the 19th century. In this mosaic, the young girl appears to have been surprised reading a potentially compromising letter. The work depicts the figure in a setting with clothes that are inspired by 18th-century rococo, whilst its counterpart in the Gilbert Collection (LOAN:GILBERT.879-2008) evokes the style of the 17th century. Both scenes have very theatrical undertones that seem to owe much to the various waves of baroque and rococo revival from around 1900 and are not strict reconstructions of a previous era. The woman's face is very similar in both mosaics, and her dress is comparable to other examples of the playful use of rococo motifs during the first decades of the 20th century that were equally important for theatre, film and fashion. 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. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.1057:1-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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