Mastery of Design: The Castellani Peace Necklace, 1870

Micromosaic and gold necklace
Castellani, 1870
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Roman jewelry company of Castellani is considered as one of the first and finest makers of jewelry based on various ancient styles which had been uncovered through then-recent archaeological findings.

Alessandro Castellani remarked upon the firm’s introduction of micromosaic jewelry based on archaeological finds:  "At the time when we took up the subject the greater number of those who followed the occupation of working in mosaic at Rome were almost unemployed; […] We therefore applied mosaics to classical jewellery, imitating at first the antique scenic masks, and many Greek and Latin inscriptions, and our designs were very soon copied elsewhere."

This necklace of gold, made in 1870, shows Castellani’s fine micromosaic work with its woven chain of diverse-shaped pendants matching on each side. The medallions are arranged symmetrically on the chain and depict various symbols of peace, starting at hook clasp: a cherub, doves of peace, two crosses, another cherub and the Christian chi-rho motif; the central pendant with Cupid. The large pendants are hung with smaller pendants which show: roses, christian symbols, flowers, bunches of grapes and the moon and sun.

This necklace is part of an import parure which was once owned by Rosalinde Gilbert who, along with her husband, Sir Arthur, donated this suite along with their impressive collection of gems, gold, snuffboxes, enamels, portrait miniatures and other assorted treasures to the V&A.  

Mastery of Design: The Gilbert Micromosaic Bracelet, 1870

Roman Micromosaic Bracelet,
Italy, 1870
Part of a Parure
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert, as we’ve discussed before, amassed one of the world’s most important collections of silver, mosaics, enameled portrait miniatures, jewels, gold objects and snuffboxes—a collection which they bequeathed to the Victoria & Albert Museum. 

This magnificent micromosaic bracelet is just one of the beautiful pieces in the collection.  As the collection notes state, “The grandeur of the gold work and the imposing scale of this piece, part of a set of jewellery, are in sharp contrast with the simple, rustic scenes depicting figures in traditional costume.”

Characteristic of the grandly set pastoral scenes which defined micromosaic jewels of the 1870s, this gold bracelet is set with an octagonal micromosaic depicting a seated woman in peasant dress with a sheep at her side.  The scene is enveloped by a gold frame with five graduated arch-shaped micromosaics on the top and bottom.  The two side panels, attached to two gold panels with spool-shaped hinges, hold a micromosaic of a dove with a laurel branch.

This was made in Rome, Italy, about 1870, by an unknown jeweler.  The work is similar to that of the Roman firm of Castellani which is credited for introducing historical styles in micromosaics in the second half of the nineteenth century.  However, we can’t be certain that this piece comes from the Castellani workshop.  

Mastery of Design: The Castellani Peace Necklace, 1870

Micromosaic and gold necklace
Castellani, 1870
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Roman jewelry company of Castellani is considered as one of the first and finest makers of jewelry based on various ancient styles which had been uncovered through then-recent archaeological findings.

Alessandro Castellani remarked upon the firm’s introduction of micromosaic jewelry based on archaeological finds:  "At the time when we took up the subject the greater number of those who followed the occupation of working in mosaic at Rome were almost unemployed; […] We therefore applied mosaics to classical jewellery, imitating at first the antique scenic masks, and many Greek and Latin inscriptions, and our designs were very soon copied elsewhere."

This necklace of gold, made in 1870, shows Castellani’s fine micromosaic work with its woven chain of diverse-shaped pendants matching on each side. The medallions are arranged symmetrically on the chain and depict various symbols of peace, starting at hook clasp: a cherub, doves of peace, two crosses, another cherub and the Christian chi-rho motif; the central pendant with Cupid. The large pendants are hung with smaller pendants which show: roses, christian symbols, flowers, bunches of grapes and the moon and sun.


This necklace is part of an import parure which was once owned by Rosalinde Gilbert who, along with her husband, Sir Arthur, donated this suite along with their impressive collection of gems, gold, snuffboxes, enamels, portrait miniatures and other assorted treasures to the V&A.  

Gifts of Grandeur: The Grand Duchess Olga Gold Casket, 1800-1850

Gilt Bronze and Micromosaic Jewel Casket
St. Petersburg, 1800-1850
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Collection

Tsar Paul I (reigned 1796-1801) built Gatchina Priory, south of St. Petersburg, commissioning the monumental structure in the Gothic style which he favored. This jewel casket exhibits a similar style. It’s believed that the casket (made either in Rome or St. Petersburg) was created for the Grand Duchess Olga (1822-92), the daughter of Tsar Nicholas I.

The casket is constructed of gilt bronze with relief friezes of intricate archways, each interrupted by a central oval. Many of the oval medallions have been inset with micromosaics of putti in the act of play. The jewel case’s top section is adorned with a relief of arcs, arches and fleurs-de-lis set against foliage. At the center of the lid, a rectangular mosaic has been set. This intricate scene depicts the Gatchina Priory nestled into a lush landscape.

Made between 1800 and 1850, the casket is thought to be the work of Georgi Ferdinand Wekler, considered one of the foremost mosaicists of his day. The box is now part of the Gilbert Collection at the V&A.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: An Italian Micromosaic and Gold Diadem, 1840

Diadem
Italian, 1840
Gold, Glass
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in 1840, this masterpiece of gold and glass micromosaic has been made in a traditional Roman style and depicts a scene of Roman ruins—a popular subject worldwide during that era. There’s some debate as to the origin of the piece as a while. The gold and mosaic work is clearly Italian, however, some feel that the diadem itself was assembled into its present form in France.


Using only the smallest pieces of colored glass, the medallion centerpiece of the tiara contains more than 5000 pieces of glass per square inch. A diadem such as this would have been worn atop a lady’s upswept hair. This particular piece would have been an interesting visual contrast to the many pieces of diamonds and gemstones which dominated the time period and would have caused the wearer to stand out from the crowd like a Roman goddess. 

The Reverse (showing the unfortunately-placed Museum Item Number)

The diadem retains its original presentation case.

Mastery of Design: An Impressive Reversible Mosaic Necklace, 1850

Necklace
Uppermost Face
Micromosaic Glass, Gold, Silver, Copper
Italian, 1850
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This impressive parure, consisting of a necklace, bracelet and earrings, truly is the definition of “mastery of design.” It has the unusual property of being reversible, per each individual section. Each of the micromosaic panels is double-sided. The wearer had the option of displaying scenes of monuments of Rome or images of figures in regional costume, or a combination of the two.


Each panel is comprised of the smallest glass pieces--containing more than 5000 pieces per square inch. The panels are set in silver held together by gold links and backed in a copper alloy. The work of an unknown jeweler, this magnificent suite is surely from Rome.

Reverse

The Suite

Gifts of Grandeur: A Set of Micromosaic Studs and Buttons, c. 1850

Micromosaic Buttons
Italy, c. 1850
This and all related images from the Victoria & Albert Museum

An English gentleman of the 1850s would have reserved a decorative set of buttons and studs such as these for evening wear.  This set, containing ten buttons and two studs, would have adorned his waistcoat and shirt.  The double-breasted style which was the fashion of the time would have required this number.  The two studs were employed to secure the front of the short which would have been visible above the waistcoat.

This particular suite is part of the collection of micromosaic jewelry which was bequeathed to the V&A by Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde.  The buttons each show Roman monuments surrounded by frames of black glass.  They were made in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop in Rome.  

The Home Beautiful: The Capitoline Doves Micromosaic, 1800-1825

Micromosaic Plaque
Rome, 1800-1825
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The subject of this stunning early Nineteenth Century micromosaic is a group of doves which is typically known as the Capitoline Doves or Doves of Pliny. These feathered little chaps appear frequently as the subject of micromosaics which replicate a famous Roman floor mosaic discovered in 1737 at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, which, in turn, is believed to be a copy of a lost ancient Greek mosaic at Pergamon. The original floor mosaic is recorded by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, which he completed in 77AD.

Dating between 1800 and 1825, this rectangular Roman micromosaic plaque, from the V&A’s Gilbert Collection, recreates the well-known scene of four doves sitting on the edge of a circular, gold, two-handled basin which, itself, is resting on a square plinth. A border decorated in geometric motifs finishes the scene. Below the bordered picture is an inscription in Latin:

MIRABILIS IBI COLVMBA BIBENS, ET AQVAM VMBRA CAPITIS INFVSCANS. APRICANTVR ALIAE SCABENTES SESE IN CANTHARI LABRO. PLIN.LIB XXXV.CAP X.

 

A marvellous dove drinking and casting the shadow of its head on the water. Other doves are pluming their feathers in the sun on the lip of a goblet.

Reverse

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: An Italian Micromosaic and Gold Diadem, 1840

Diadem
Italian, 1840
Gold, Glass
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in 1840, this masterpiece of gold and glass micromosaic has been made in a traditional Roman style and depicts a scene of Roman ruins—a popular subject worldwide during that era. There’s some debate as to the origin of the piece as a while. The gold and mosaic work is clearly Italian, however, some feel that the diadem itself was assembled into its present form in France.


Using only the smallest pieces of colored glass, the medallion centerpiece of the tiara contains more than 5000 pieces of glass per square inch. A diadem such as this would have been worn atop a lady’s upswept hair. This particular piece would have been an interesting visual contrast to the many pieces of diamonds and gemstones which dominated the time period and would have caused the wearer to stand out from the crowd like a Roman goddess. 

The Reverse (showing the unfortunately-placed Museum Item Number)

The diadem retains its original presentation case.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Castellani Peace Necklace, 1870

Micromosaic and gold necklace
Castellani, 1870
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Roman jewelry company of Castellani is considered as one of the first and finest makers of jewelry based on various ancient styles which had been uncovered through then-recent archaeological findings.

Alessandro Castellani remarked upon the firm’s introduction of micromosaic jewelry based on archaeological finds:  "At the time when we took up the subject the greater number of those who followed the occupation of working in mosaic at Rome were almost unemployed; […] We therefore applied mosaics to classical jewellery, imitating at first the antique scenic masks, and many Greek and Latin inscriptions, and our designs were very soon copied elsewhere."

This necklace of gold, made in 1870, shows Castellani’s fine micromosaic work with its woven chain of diverse-shaped pendants matching on each side. The medallions are arranged symmetrically on the chain and depict various symbols of peace, starting at hook clasp: a cherub, doves of peace, two crosses, another cherub and the Christian chi-rho motif; the central pendant with Cupid. The large pendants are hung with smaller pendants which show: roses, christian symbols, flowers, bunches of grapes and the moon and sun.

This necklace is part of an import parure which was once owned by Rosalinde Gilbert who, along with her husband, Sir Arthur, donated this suite along with their impressive collection of gems, gold, snuffboxes, enamels, portrait miniatures and other assorted treasures to the V&A.  

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Beautiful Sky of Italy Table, 1845

 

The Beautiful Sky of Italy Table
Michelangelo Barberi, 1845
The Victoria & Albert Museum




This masterpiece of micromosaic and furniture-making was made for Francis Needham, Earl Kilmorey, and was exhibited in London at the Great Exhibition of 1851 where it received a Council Medal, the highest honor awarded.

Made in Rome in 1845 by Michelangelo Barberi (1787 -1867), the circular micromosaic tabletop depicts a central group of four genii floating in the open sky—each bears the attributes of painting, music, architecture and sculpture. Around the circumference of the table are eight views of Italian cities: Piazza del Duomo, Milan; St. Mark's Square, Venice; Piazza della Signoria, Florence; St. Peter's Square, Rome; the Coliseum, Rome; the Riviera di Chaia, Naples; St. Rosalia, Palermo and the Harbor at Genoa. The table base is gilt bronze and is made up of four legs surmounted with rams heads.

More than just majestic sites in Italy, the views depicted on this tabletop are those that were visited by Tsar Nicholas I on his Italian tour of 1845. In 1846 the Tsar commissioned a tabletop directly from Michelangelo Barberi who referred to the composition as “Il bel cielo d'Italia” (the beautiful sky of Italy). The original table made for Tsar Nicholas I, showed a central composition of a group of putti holding a portrait of the Tsarina Alexandra. That work is now at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Barberi next made this similar table for the Earl.

Michelangelo Barberi was known as “Cavaliere” and was the leading micromosaicist of the Nineteenth Century. One member of a celebrated family, his brothers were painters and his father Camillo was an architect, painter and designer who served as Director of Fortifications and Prisons for Italy following his meeting with the Emperor Napoleon in Milan in 1804. This illustrious family lived in Paris for a spell, but later returned to Rome during the reign of Pius VII (1800-1823).

Mastery of Design: The Aurora Goddess of Dawn Bracelet, 1870

Bracelet
Rome, c. 1870
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

With a shape inspired by then-recent finds of ancient jewelry, this bracelet is adorned, not with a scene from antiquity, but rather with a micromosaic scene based on a Renaissance painting by Guido Reni (1575-1642). Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn, is shown in much the same stance—with her chariot and assistants—that she takes in Reni’s fresco at the Pallavicini-Rospigliosi Palace in Rome.

Now part of the collection of Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert at the V&A, the oval mosaic and gold bracelet fastens with locking hinges. It was made in Rome, c. 1870.  Clearly, it was meant as a souvenir of Rome--as indicated by the giant ROMA on the reverse.  

Gifts of Grandeur: A Micromosaic Plaque in a Gold Frame, 1800-1840

Micromosaic Plaque
1800, Rome
Set in Gold Frame, 1840, England
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Created in Rome, circa 1800, by an unknown artist, we can see the care taken with such micromosaic pieces. This micromosaic employs tiny square pieces of glass, known as “tesserae,” to make up the background, giving the solid-color surface a natural pattern of straight lines . This fact combined with the simple perspective indicates that it’s an early example of the micromosaic technique which was in the process of being refined in Rome towards the end of the 18th century. 

The frame, however, is of later creation—dated to about 1840 and thought to be made in England. Micromosaics were popular souvenirs for tourists visiting Rome as they could be easily purchased for a low cost and brought back to England and to America without effort. As was the case with this adorable canine scene, these souvenirs were often brought home by travelers who had them set into pieces of jewelry or sometimes incorporated into boxes or cases. 

Mastery of Design: The Castellani Peace Necklace, 1870

Micromosaic and gold necklace
Castellani, 1870
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Roman jewelry company of Castellani is considered as one of the first and finest makers of jewelry based on various ancient styles which had been uncovered through then-recent archaeological findings.

Alessandro Castellani remarked upon the firm’s introduction of micromosaic jewelry based on archaeological finds:  "At the time when we took up the subject the greater number of those who followed the occupation of working in mosaic at Rome were almost unemployed; […] We therefore applied mosaics to classical jewellery, imitating at first the antique scenic masks, and many Greek and Latin inscriptions, and our designs were very soon copied elsewhere."

This necklace of gold, made in 1870, shows Castellani’s fine micromosaic work with its woven chain of diverse-shaped pendants matching on each side. The medallions are arranged symmetrically on the chain and depict various symbols of peace, starting at hook clasp: a cherub, doves of peace, two crosses, another cherub and the Christian chi-rho motif; the central pendant with Cupid. The large pendants are hung with smaller pendants which show: roses, christian symbols, flowers, bunches of grapes and the moon and sun.


This necklace is part of an import parure which was once owned by Rosalinde Gilbert who, along with her husband, Sir Arthur, donated this suite along with their impressive collection of gems, gold, snuffboxes, enamels, portrait miniatures and other assorted treasures to the V&A.