St. Peter's Basilica & Square, Rome

Extremely fine topographical micromosaic depicting St. Peter's Basilica and Square, Rome. With black slate border and gilt frame

Provenance:
Purchased circa 1865 by Don Alvuaro Covarrubias, Ambassador of Chile in Vatican City and Austria
Dona Sara Covarrubias de Ossa
San Ignacio College
Casa Ramone Eyzaguirre, 1962
Donna Carmen Ossa Undurraga de Ortuzar
Private Collection, Vancouver
Size: 18 h x 29 in w
ZM21194                       

uno@langmann.com
604 736 8825 or 1 800 730 8825

This exceptionally detailed view of St. Peters is of rare quality. Depicting St. Peter’s Square and the domed Basilica and Vatican beyond, the Pope can be seen in procession on the right, accompanied by his Caribinari and viewed by a throng of admirers. Among the numerous people and carriages in the square can be seen groups of figures including couples, families, and mounted officers. In total over 150 figures and 11 carriages with 21 horses can be counted. The attention to detail in the procession, groups of figures and horse-drawn carriages milling about the central space, as well as to the detail to the buildings and fountains, is incredible. Even the shading of the blue sky above is extremely detailed.

Known in Italy as smalto filato, mosaico minute, and mosaico in piccolo, micromosaics are produced using thousands, or tens of thousands, of tiny, intricate pieces of glass, stone or ceramic less than one millimeter wide, called tesserae. Artists laboriously assemble these tesserae to create intricate images based on classical or religious themes. The level of detail varied, the finest using individual tiles to create window and architectural features. The goal was to have the composition appear to have the fineness and attention to detail of a painting.

The Vatican micromosaic workshop was originally founded in the late 16th century to decorate the Basilica of Saint Peters, and continued to produce for centuries after. Many of these artists went on to open their own workshops, and by the 19th century the market for micromosaics was flourishing. With the popularity of archaeological discoveries during the Neoclassical period the craze for antiquity was at its peak. Representative of the Grant Tour, St. Peter’s Square and the Basilica became a popular subject.

The Basilica at St. Peter’s was begun in 1506 by Bramante (1444-1514) and modified later by Michelangelo (1475-1564) who designed the dome, which was completed by Maderno circa 1606. Bernini added the colonnade in 1657 along with the fountains by Maderno and Bernini. The central obelisk was originally in the Circus of Nero (AD 54-68)