Table Top With Micromosaics Views Of Rome

TABLE TOP IN BELGIAN BLACK MARBLE
DECORATED WITH MICROMOSAICS REPRESENTING SEVEN VIEWS OF ROME
Rome, circa 1840

Elegant circular tabletop in Belgian black marble, at the center of which are arranged seven micromosaic medallions: a larger central medallion surrounded by six smaller medallions radiating around it.
The dark background enhances the brilliance of the glass tesserae, while the peripheral border—also executed in micromosaic—alternates green and blue panels framed by phytomorphic motifs embellished with small birds and golden scrolls, a decorative device characteristic of the Roman workshops active between the Vatican and Via dei Coronari.
The figurative repertoire follows the established canon of the great views of ancient Rome, highly sought after by travelers undertaking the Grand Tour.
Central medallion:
St. Peter’s Square with the Vatican Basilica and Bernini’s colonnade.
Peripheral medallions (clockwise):

Temple of Vesta and the House of the Vestals – Roman Forum (the small circular colonnaded temple beside the remains of the House of the Vestals).
Temple of Hercules Victor (also known as the Temple of Vesta in the Forum Boarium).
Pantheon.
Colosseum.
Temple of the Dioscuri with the Basilica Julia – Roman Forum.
Arch of Titus – Roman Forum (the isolated triumphal arch on the Via Sacra, represented according to the traditional iconography of Grand Tour views).

This type of table functioned as a kind of “monumental souvenir of Rome”: within a single object were gathered the most celebrated sites of the city, according to an iconographic repertoire that had become codified in the Roman workshops.
The simultaneous presence of these monuments corresponds precisely to the itinerary that Grand Tour travelers followed during their stay in Rome.

The medallions are executed with exceptionally fine tesserae, revealing the hand of highly skilled mosaicists trained at the Reverenda Fabbrica Vaticana (the Vatican workshop).
Examples with comparable iconography are today preserved :
Vatican Museums, Collection of Micromosaics, Micromosaic Room.

Musée du Louvre, Department of Decorative Arts, 19th-century Roman micromosaics.

Chronological note
The analysis of the central view of St. Peter’s Square allows a more precise dating.
In the composition, the square appears without the large cast-iron street lamps installed only in 1853, when, under the pontificate of Pius IX, public gas lighting was introduced. The absence of these urban elements—normally clearly visible in later views—indicates that the iconographic model used by the mosaicist dates from a phase prior to this intervention, thus suggesting that the tabletop was executed before 1853.

The overall state of preservation is excellent, with colors well preserved.
Polished Belgian black marble.
Such tabletops were acquired by members of the European aristocracy as well as by American travelers visiting Rome. The choice of Belgian black marble gives the piece elegance and depth, creating an ideal chromatic contrast that enhances the micromosaic decoration.
The work represents a refined example of Roman production intended for the international luxury market during the first half of the 19th century.
The tabletop is presented on a tripod table in carved and gilt wood, adorned with finely chiselled leafy scrolls. The three curved legs join at a triangular stretcher fitted with a small shelf covered in red velvet.
This support, of approximately contemporary date, provides a particularly harmonious presentation for the micromosaic top. Although it was most likely not originally conceived for this specific tabletop, the combination remains very balanced and consistent with the decorative taste of the 19th century.
The stand shows some light wear to the gilding and minor customary restorations to be expected, without affecting the overall aesthetic quality of the ensemble.

Diameter: 63 cm
Total height: 81 cm.