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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
My great-grandmother, Emma Breguet, died at a young age, and little of what belonged to her is left. What remains reveals that she gravitated to all things inlaid, including micromosaics. Today I thought I'd share one of her paperweights, apparently a souvenir of Rome.
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| click to enlarge |
Below are the individual sights, and you can click on each of them to enlarge the images. (Because the black marble base has many hairline scratches, I've obscured them so that you might focus more easily on these little masterpieces.)
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| click to enlarge | Temple of Hercules Victor |
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| click to enlarge | The Colosseum |
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| click to enlarge | Forum Romanum |
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| click to enlarge | The Pantheon |
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| click to enlarge | Vatican Square |
For larger mosaics, glass chips called
smalti, below, are used (
smalto, singular). For micromosaics, smalti is heated and drawn out into long threads called
filati, which in that drawing out become very thin. It is this filati that is used in micromosaics, and it is indeed thin; you can see where filati is missing in areas of the Pantheon, above, and that slight deterioration is essentially a flaking.
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| mosaicartsupply.com |
Above is smalti, huge in comparison to the filati that would be used in micromosaics.
Because the filati pieces are so tiny, beautiful gradations can be accomplished. Look, for example, at how the skies in all the images above gradate to the horizon, and then see what a stunning effect that creates in the first image of the entire plaque.
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| click to enlarge | http://www.lacma.org/search/node/micromosaics |
Above is one of the most spectacular of micromosaics, an image of the Colosseum measuring 18¾ x 25⅞. It's on extended loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Gilbert Collection. This micromosaic was made circa 1850.
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These are absolutely gorgeous, Mark. Thank you for sharing these treasures, and for the description of the technique. The Colosseum mosaic is jaw-dropping. When I first came across Willard Wiggan's miniature sculptures I thought that he was simply a bizarre anomaly, but now I see that (as with everything) there's a distinct lineage tracing back hundreds of years to these guys and beyond, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteHi, Alan,
DeleteThat Colosseum image is mouth-watering — I would love to see it in person. In researching this posting, I discovered that the Vatican still employs mosaic artists who create scenes and portraits, though on a larger scale than the micromosaics.
Hello Mark, The work and detail that went into your great-grandmother's paperweight is amazing. A lot of jewelry also contains micro-mosaics, but most of the more recent pieces are rather coarse. I used to peruse auction catalogs with Grand Tour items, and often lingered over the micro-mosaic table tops, all of which are still highly appreciated, as reflected in their prices.
ReplyDeleteHello, Jim,
DeleteYes, collecting micromosaics seriously is a wealthy person's passion. I wish I could put my hands on a Smithsonian article I read years ago about one such American collector (perhaps it was Mr. Gilbert of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). At any rate, the Smithsonian Magazine once focused on large pieces of micromosaics, including a tabletop. I know the coarser items of which you speak, usually little lockets.
I too have admired these from the auction houses. The detailed work is so impressive, and it must be a joy to have one from your own family.
ReplyDeleteDear Columnist,
DeleteIt is a joy to have this plaque, and it's amazing that it survived as well as it did, for my grandfather's profession required many moves.
amazing! What a great treasure to have inherited from your great grandmother :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, Stefan - I'm glad you enjoyed it, but then, it is great architecture. Incidentally, I have seen other examples of this plaque on Pinterest, with differet landmarks.
DeleteWhat a beautiful young women Emma was.
ReplyDeleteI have been fortunate enough to visit the fabulous Gilbert Collection given to our nation by Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert. Out of their collection, the micromosaics and the pietre dure were the pieces that I found most fascinating to see.
The paperweight of Rome is delightful - you don't see souvenirs of that quality now.
Dear Rosemary,
DeleteYou're certainly right about souvenirs not being what they used to be! It would be interesting to know the relative cost of this item when it was first purchased.
Thank you for noting Emma's beauty. This is the only likeness I have of her. She — like many other members of my family — was a collector. She had a Swiss stamp collection, and since she lived in the mid-1800s, I imagine it may have been complete!
Dear Mark, What masterpieces these Micromosaics are! In our travels we have come across many and I have always been astounded at the work involved, Have admired the way the artists are able to convey light and shadow, gradation of color to end up with a complete and detailed scene. How wonderful that you have received such a treasure from your Grandmother.
ReplyDeleteHi, Gina, Yes, the gradations are so subtle that one supposes that the artists had an immense selection of glass from which to choose. I'm guessing that the better one became at this art, the quicker and more intuitively an artist would make color choices.
DeleteThe mosiacs are beautiful my hand shakes at the thought of attempting such work ..but the photo of Emma is extraordinary ..she was so beautiful and the photo could have been taken yesterday it looks so clear.
ReplyDeleteWas she Swiss?
Thank you for the comment about Emma. Yes, she was Swiss. Both sides of my family emigrated to the United States from Switzerland, the paternal side in the 1700s and the maternal side (Emma's son, my grandfather) in 1925.
DeleteMark,
ReplyDeleteThese are just amazing! Would these have originally been sold as one piece or would they have been assembled on a plaque later on?
What a treasure you were left with.
Hi, Steve,
DeleteThe plaque was a souvenir piece that was sold exactly as seen in the second image of this posting. I should mention that it measures 6" x 4¼". Individual scenes, like the ones on the plaque, were incorporated into table tops, box lids, and jewelry such as lockets.
A lady acquaintance has a piece of jewelry, I suppose it's a broach, made from a micro-mosaic. It is a scene of the Roman Forum, an oval about 1" x 1 1/2". I covet it, but I suppose it is too large to try to pass off as a tie-tack.
ReplyDeleteDear D.C. - Perhaps you could buy a pocket watch and turn the micromosaic into a fob?
DeleteHello hello Mark!
ReplyDeleteI left a comment a couple of days ago that has mysteriously not gone through--so sorry! I just thought I'd pop in again to let you know how much I enjoyed this post. Your great great grandmother was such a beauty-- and once again I find myself green with envy that you have such a beautiful souvenir of a woman who surely led a fascinating life. The micromosaics in this paperweight are extraordinary! I could look at them all day long, which I'm sure, was the original maker's intention! Thank you for sharing this beautiful family treasure.
Warm regards,
Erika
Dear Erika,
DeleteThank you for the compliment on my great-grandmother. Her life was cut short when my grandfather was a teenager, but from the little I know of her, it sounds as though she was ahead of her time.
Best wishes,
Mark
Oh Mark-- I forgot to compliment you on your very fine illustration for this post-- it's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Erika
Thanks, Erika! That's the result of a combination of Adobe Illustrator and PhotoShop. I enjoy working back and forth between those two design programs.
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