Unknown Maker, Italian

The Grand Tour-an educational and experiential venture taken by young European aristocrats in the 1700s and 1800s-provided ample opportunities for collecting. This small depiction of St. Peter’s Basilica is a micromosaic, and was produced for and purchased by travelers. Made of small pieces of glass, micromosaics in all sizes-from tabletops to jewelry-were prized for their colorful and intricate scenes, often of famous Roman sites.

The variety of Grand Tour souvenir objects, which were often decorated with views of Italy’s ancient ruins and distinctive buildings, increased in the 19th century. Large and elaborate micro-mosaics appeared on furniture, snuff-boxes, and plaques, while smaller ones, such as this group, could be inserted by a jeweler in gold settings to create brooches, buttons, bracelets, or necklaces. The mosaic workshop of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome trained generations of skilled Italian craftsmen in the construction of these tiny vignettes.