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

Details

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

Provenance

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

Literature

Catalogue of Pictures, Drawings and Prints, Munden, Dec. 1874, Inventory at Munden of 1874, 'The Hall, over the marble table', 'Mosaic of Temple of Minerva Medica.’
List of Framed Pictures at Munden, 1924, '2. Mosaic of Temple of Minerva Medica'.

Sale room notice

Please note the present lot has now been attributed to Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836) and can be compared to mosaic panels depicting The Temple of the Sibyl at Tivoli and The Arch of Janus Quadriffons, both attributed to Giacomo Raffaelli in The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection, currently on loan to the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Please note the estimate of the present lot is £10,000-20,000.

Brought to you by

Peter Horwood

phorwood@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2359

Lot Essay

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.

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