Unknown Maker, Italian

This tabletop features nine Roman attractions: the Pantheon, Tomb of Cecilia Metella, Temple of Vesta, Forum, Colosseum, Arch of Titus, Castel Sant’Angelo, and Capitoline Hill, with St. Peter’s Basilica in the center. Each image is made from very thin rods of brightly colored glass cut into tiny pieces and densely arranged, with as many as 1,400 pieces per inch. Greek patterns and borders complete the composition.

This example was probably produced in the mosaic studio at St. Peter’s Basilica, which had been in operation since the late 1500s. Tourists purchased tabletops like this one on their travels, then on their return home hired a local furniture-maker to construct a base.

Marble tables with elaborate decorations of inlaid precious stones and micro-mosaic pictures were among the most prized souvenirs available to 19th-century tourists. This table-top features nine vignettes of Rome’s chief attractions: the Pantheon, Tomb of Cecilia Metella, Temple of Vesta, Forum, Coliseum, Arch of Titus, Castel Sant’Angelo, and Capitoline Hill, with St. Peter’s Basilica in the center. All typical tourist destinations, some were ancient Roman sites and others more recent Baroque wonders. Mosaic artists usually worked from earlier prints, offering recognizable images of these sites which would be appealing to tourists. In this case, two small Baroque bell-towers added to the Pantheon by Bernini have been omitted to provide a view closer to the temple’s original form.

Each micro-mosaic vignette is composed of remarkably thin rods of brightly colored glass (smalti filati) cut into tiny pieces (tesserae), and arranged with as many as 1,400 tesserae per inch. Greek patterns and borders of malachite and lapis lazuli complete the composition. This table top was probably made in the mosaic studio at St. Peter’s Basilica, which had been in operation since the late 16th century. Tourists would purchase the table top in Italy, then commission a local furniture-maker to construct an appropriate base after returning from their travels.