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| Click Images for Larger Size Specimen Block Raffaeli, 1800 This and all related images from The Victoria & Albert Museum |
Created as a means of displaying a handsome group of early Italian micromosaics, this specimen block was assembled around 1800. And, it shows them off beautifully, but the block itself must not be dismissed as a mere display item. It’s quite impressive in its own right. The block is a rare Nineteenth Century example of an Italian use of malachite, a stone then found only rarely, and then, typically just outside of Russia. The malachite block stands on a plinth of lapis lazuli, and, this, on a base of black marble within a frame of gilt bronze.
The use of the butterfly form in the micromosaics is wholly Roman, owing to the ancient belief that the butterfly represented the soul leaving the body at the moment of death. The top of the malachite block is set with four lovely micromosaic roundels, each with a white background and three of them featuring the butterfly theme. The fourth depicts a bird resting on a branch.
The other four sides (not counting the side attached to the base), are each set with rectangular micromosaics featuring a depiction of a butterfly perched on a branch within a border of red marble.
While it’s difficult to date the micromosaics, it’s safe to assume that they’re Roman in origin. The valuable collection of panels was assembled by Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836). A similarly-set block of lapis lazuli is housed in a private Roman collection. This one was acquired by Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert and now is part of the V&A’s Gilbert Collection.
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