Plaque

This eighteenth century micromosaic was made in Rome. It depicts the 'Doves of Pliny', a popular subject on 18th and 19th century Roman micromosaics.

Plaque or medallion depicting Pliny's doves in a glass mosaic, with gilt metal rim: Italian, Rome, 18th century

Micromosaics are built up of hundreds or thousands of minute tessarae - cubes or chips - of coloured glass. They were developed by mosaicists employed by the Vatican Mosaic Workshop who began to fear for their jobs as orders for large-scale mosaics began to dry up in the 1750s. The credit for their invention is generally given to Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836), an employee of the Vatican Workshop. He exhibited his work in his private studio in the Piazza di Spagna in 1775. A later guidebook reveals that there were at least twenty mosaic workshops in the vicinity of the Piazza around 1873-4, all frequented by tourists.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-180-000-110-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland Part 2
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  A.1894.159
• Date: 18th century
  Late 18th century
  
• Material: Glass mosaic, gilt metal rim
  Plaque / medallion
  
• Dimensions: 2.88" D
  
• What: Plaque / medallion
  
• Subject: European glass
  
• Who: Pliny
  
• Where: Italy, Rome
  
• Event:
• Description:
• References:
  • Evans, G. Souvenirs From Roman Times to the Present Day. Edinburgh: NMS Publishing Ltd, 1999, pp 26-7. 
• Translations:
• Related Records: