Box with a View of Tivoli

In about 1775 Rome-based craftsman, Giacomo Raffaelli, perfected the technique of making mosaics with tiny glass tesserae rather than with pieces of stone. He specialized in reproducing paintings. By 1800 he was the foremost micromosaicists in the city, and was invited to established a workshop for Napoleon I in Milan, where Napoleon was crowned king in 1805. He also made a micromosaic copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper for the emperor, which is now in the Minoritenkirche in Vienna. This work took eight years.

This box is typical of the smaller scale micromosaics Raffaelli and his workshop produced. When examined closely it is possible to see that different shapes and lengths of glass fragments are used to create different elements in the landscape - for example the sky is made of regular square pieces, while for the mountains more triangular shapes are used. Raffaelli's status is reflected in the fact that his micromosiacs are often signed. In this example his name, the date, and the location are engraved around the edge of the scene of Tivoli.

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Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

George W. Kosmak (1863-1953) by purchase; Katherine and George Kosmak, 1953, by bequest; Walters Art Museum, 1975, by gift.