Micromosaic Table
Date: about 1868-1873
Dimensions:
84. 5 x 66 cm (33 1/4 x 26 in.) [dealer]
Medium: Belgian black marble top inlaid with polychrome glass paste and sequins imitating aventurine. Glass micromosaic center. Base in blackened pear wood, and glass paste
Classification: Furniture
Credit Line: Gift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society
Object number: 2023.322
Label Text:Have you ever bought a special souvenir to commemorate a memorable vacation? This table would have been an especially extravagant keepsake for a wealthy 19th-century tourist visiting Venice, Italy. The table is a tour-de-force, from the carved lions at the base to the thin, colorful, cut-to-shape sheets of inlaid aventurine glass, a type of glass that includes flecks of copper that give it a reflective sparkle.
At the center of the tabletop is a “micromosaic” scene of the Rialto Bridge, a popular Venetian tourist attraction. It is painstakingly assembled from tiny pieces of colored glass with such skill that it resembles a painting at first glance.
At the center of the tabletop is a “micromosaic” scene of the Rialto Bridge, a popular Venetian tourist attraction. It is painstakingly assembled from tiny pieces of colored glass with such skill that it resembles a painting at first glance.
Not on view