Live Auction 17181The Collector: English Furniture, Works of Art and Portrait Miniatures
A LARGE MICROMOSAIC PANEL OF THE TEMPLE OF MINERVA MEDICA
Lot 29THE PROPERTY OF THE HON HENRY HOLLAND-HIBBERT

A LARGE MICROMOSAIC PANEL OF THE TEMPLE OF MINERVA MEDICA

ATTRIBUTED TO GIACOMO RAFFAELLI (1753-1836) ROME, CIRCA 1800

Closed22 May 2019

Price Realised

GBP 72,500

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A LARGE MICROMOSAIC PANEL OF THE TEMPLE OF MINERVA MEDICA
ATTRIBUTED TO GIACOMO RAFFAELLI (1753-1836) ROME, CIRCA 1800
The panel finely inlaid, depicting the ruins of the Temple of Minerva Medici, with a Roman aqueduct in the background, with several figures in the foreground; panel inscribed 'Temple of Minerva Medica'; in a parcel-gilt wood frame with oak leaf decoration
23 ¼ x 16 ¾ in. (59.5 x 42.5 cm.), the micromosaic; 38 x 31 ¼ in. (96.8 x 79.5 cm.) overall, with the frame

Munden House, Hertfordshire, almost certainly acquired by George Hibbert Esp MP (1757-1837), Munden and thence by descent at Munden.

Specialist note

The erroneously named Temple of Minerva Medica is, in fact, a ruined nymphaeum of Imperial Rome, lying between the via Labicana and Aurelian Walls. At one time, it was thought to be the temple to Minerva Medica ("Minerva the Doctor") mentioned by Cicero and other sources. In fact it is a nymphaeum, a building devoted to the nymphs and often connected to the water supply, that dates to the 4th century. The full dome of the structure, seen here in the mosaic, collapsed in 1828. It was a place of interest to visiting Grand Tourists and was the subject of an etching of 1764 by Francesco Piranesi in his influential series Vedute di Roma.