THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Details

A FINE ROMAN MICROMOSAIC TABLE
THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY
The circular marble top with a central roundel depicting Romulus and Remus suckling the She-wolf within a foliate encadrement, surrounded by eight panoramas depicting views of Rome, Milan, Naples and Florence, surrounded further by a malachite-inset band and Greek key border, on a giltwood base carved with winged putto caryatids joined by a central boss
31¾ in. (80.5 cm.) high; 41¾ in. (106 cm.) diameter

Provenance

Formerly in the collection of James Oviatt, Los Angeles, California
Robert E. Bennett, purchased from the above, circa early 1970s
By descent to the present owner

Literature

J. Hanisee Gabriel, The Gilbert Collection Micromosaics, London, 2000.

Lot Essay

Italian vistas and monuments, as well Sir Peter Paul Rubens's Romulus and Remus, (now in the Capitoline Museum, Rome) were among the most popular choices for mosaicists during the second half of the 19th century. The central roundel alone, much like the Doves of Pliny or St. Peter's Square, appears both as an individual composition and, more frequently, in larger table-tops (see J. Hanisee Gabriel, London, 2000, p. 165). However, this exquisitely executed table-top is set apart from previous examples combining the same elements. The reserves surrounding the central panel are meticulously finished, evidenced by the sheer number of figures, carriages and decorative components incorporated into the scenes themselves. Though apparently unsigned, the quality of detail and workmanship leaves no doubt that the present lot was most certainly supplied by a highly esteemed and experienced mosaic studio.

A very similar table incorporating a number of the same scenes was sold at Christie's New York, 21 June 2000, lot 94.

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