VIENNA, CIRCA 1820, THE PLAQUE ITALIAN, ROME, CIRCA 1815

Details

AN AUSTRIAN VARI-COLOUR GOLD SNUFF-BOX SET WITH A MICROMOSAIC PLAQUE
VIENNA, CIRCA 1820, THE PLAQUE ITALIAN, ROME, CIRCA 1815
rectangular box with rounded corners, the sides and base set with panels of wave pattern engine-turning, the borders chased with raised scrolls, foliage, anthemion and flowerheads of polished gold on a sablé ground, the cover set with a slightly raised rectangular micromosaic plaque depicting St. Peter's Square in Rome with the domed Basilica and Vatican beyond
3¼ in. (82 mm.) wide

Lot Essay

The monumental basilica of St. Peter’s was begun in 1506 by Bramante, modified in 1547 by Michelangelo, who designed the dome, and completed around 1606 by Maderno. Bernini’s majestic colonnade was added in 1657. The fountains are by Maderno and Bernini, while the central Egyptian obelisk was originally in the Circus of Nero. Ever popular with tourists, the vista was favored by mosaicists during the nineteenth century.

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