THE MOUNTS BY LUIGI MASCELLI (FL. 1804-1825), ROME, CIRCA 1810

The same subject has appeared in micromosaic occasionally at auction, most notably in one of a pair of panels attributed to Puglieschi, sold from the Collection of the Late Gianni Versace, Sotheby's, New York, 5-7 April 2001, lot 16. The image also appears on the covers of a bonbonnière and a snuffbox in the Gilbert Collection, London, see J. Hanisee Gabriel, The Gilbert Collection - Micromosaics, London, 2000, p. 70, cat. 18 and p. 180, cat. 111. Luigi Mascelli and his son Giovanni Andrea (fl. 1826-1870) were just two of the Roman goldsmiths and retailers who specialised in supplying the early 19th century souvenir trade with snuff boxes set with locally-made micromosaic panels.