Plaque
1775-1800 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This plaque was probably made by Giacomo Raffaelli, an expert micromosaicist, who is often credited with developing the technique. The naturalism of the bird is achieved through the use of tiny tesserae, no larger than a pin head. The solitary bird on a branch was one of the first motifs Raffaelli used in his micromosaics.
The term 'micromosaic' is used to describe mosaics made of the smallest glass pieces. Some micromosaics contain more than 5000 pieces per square inch. The earliest attempts at micromosaic revealed visible joins between the pieces (known as tesserae) and a lack of perspective. Later artists such as Antonio Aguatti made huge advances in micromosaic technique, resulting in renderings that were truer to life. Glass micromosaic technique developed in the 18th century, in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop in Rome, where they still undertake restoration work today.
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.
The term 'micromosaic' is used to describe mosaics made of the smallest glass pieces. Some micromosaics contain more than 5000 pieces per square inch. The earliest attempts at micromosaic revealed visible joins between the pieces (known as tesserae) and a lack of perspective. Later artists such as Antonio Aguatti made huge advances in micromosaic technique, resulting in renderings that were truer to life. Glass micromosaic technique developed in the 18th century, in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop in Rome, where they still undertake restoration work today.
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 3 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Micromosaic and gilt metal frame |
Brief description | Plaque with goldfinch on twig, Rome, attributed to Giacomo Raffaelli, 1775-1800. |
Physical description | Small circular micromosaic plaque depicting a goldfinch. The bird is shown in right profile sitting on a branch with a few green leaves and red berries. A low ground line curves slightly across about forty-five degrees of the bottom right perimeter, while the remaining background is a light blue. The mosaic is in a gilt metal frame chased with husks. |
Dimensions |
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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: Le Vieux Paris, Los Angeles, 1976. Historical significance: This plaque is of the highest quality associated with the work of Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836). The use of tiny square or rectangular tesserae is characteristic of the early stage of this art form. |
Historical context | The depiction of a solitary bird on a branch was one of the earliest motifs used in micromosaic and was probably inspired by 17th century pietre dure plaques produced at the Opificio in Florence. |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | This plaque was probably made by Giacomo Raffaelli, an expert micromosaicist, who is often credited with developing the technique. The naturalism of the bird is achieved through the use of tiny tesserae, no larger than a pin head. The solitary bird on a branch was one of the first motifs Raffaelli used in his micromosaics. The term 'micromosaic' is used to describe mosaics made of the smallest glass pieces. Some micromosaics contain more than 5000 pieces per square inch. The earliest attempts at micromosaic revealed visible joins between the pieces (known as tesserae) and a lack of perspective. Later artists such as Antonio Aguatti made huge advances in micromosaic technique, resulting in renderings that were truer to life. Glass micromosaic technique developed in the 18th century, in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop in Rome, where they still undertake restoration work today. 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.203:1 to 3-2008 |
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Record created | June 26, 2008 |
Record URL |
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