Micromosaics Private Collections Hardcover – January 1, 2016

I LOVE EVERYTHING! I have the first book Micromosaics The Gilbert Collection bought I think in 2000..... I have been involved in Mosaics since 02/02/1995 and slowly over the years progressed to Micromosaics.I do Mosaics everyday since I started...I am so thankful I started in Mosaics after Grad School( MFA 94 Graduate School of Figurative Art New York City 1992-1994)And I am most grateful to Ms Gabriel....thank you and thank you Ms GabrielRonald L.Shaffer Sr.

The author, Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel, depicts over 250 richly illustrated micromosaic masterpieces from private collections from around the world that have been catalogued under the separate headings of Tables, Pictures, Plaques, Boxes, Jewellery, and Miscellaneous. This is a tremendous service, as well as a source of enjoyment, to scholars, auction houses, and collectors of this highly important, but scarce, art of micromosaics Since the beginning of the 20th Century the art of micromosaics gradually has become a lost art due to the introduction of less expensive and physically taxing production techniques. Its beginning was in Rome and with the Vatican Mosaic Studio in the 16th Century based on a quest to preserve the damaged paintings in the Basilica of St. Peter steadily eroded by the stifling, humid conditions along the Tiber River. What the restorers found was that the mosaic altarpieces remained robustly intact while the paint was peeling off the rotting frames of the religious paintings. This led to the art of painting in mosaic combined with the labour-intensive production of enamel for this specific purpose. The production of fired enamel would take the form of ‘cubes’ and, the even more delicate, enamel thread.The first micromosaics thus were altarpieces of paintings in St. Peter’s Basilica by such artists as Raphael, Caravaggio, Reni, and Poussin that took over one hundred years to complete. These first religious micromosaic works of art were then followed by depictions of history paintings and, in the late 1700’s, with depictions of secular themes.It was the younger members of the European Royalty in the 18th Century, in continuation of their cultural education, so partaking in ‘The Grand Tour’ to the ‘eternal city’, who were responsible for importantly raising interest in the collecting of micromosaics. Unfortunately, what these cultural explorers found was one of the dirtiest cities in all of Europe. Nonetheless, these conditions did not dissuade rich royal and aristocratic foreigners, and from all of the leading nations in Europe, to congregate in Rome so including patrons, collectors, scholars, and artists.The Vatican Workshop eventually became a commercial enterprise selling miniature altarpieces of St. Peter’s as well as portraits of the popes that were then given as diplomatic gifts. It was the royal families of Russia, Britain, Sweden and Spain, among other royal households, who were the most proficient early collectors. The Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II, returned to his collections mosaic tabletops, as did Princess Sophia Albertina of Sweden, who visited Rome in 1793. Numerous mosaics also were collected by Napoleon Bonaparte and members of his extended family.Members of Russian royalty and of the aristocracy especially were keen collectors and the Hermitage Museum includes a mosaic portrait of Empress Elizabeth from the early 18th Century as well as micromosaic tabletops from 1791 given to Catherine the Great by Countess Ekaterina Skvaronskaia, the wife of the Russian Ambassador to Naples. However, the most prolific collector of micromosaics, and probably of all time, was Czar Nicholas I.In 2011, Sotheby’s sold Lot 254: ‘An Important Italian Micromosaic Table by Gioacchino Barberi after Alexander Orlovski made around 1830 to 1833 for a record sale price of US $ 1,986,500 (including Buyer’s Premium). It was Nicholas I who organised its purchase after hearing about this table and its important military theme of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828 -1829 plus of its stunning workmanship. Based on archives found at the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg, it was Michelangelo Barberi who arranged for his brother, Gioacchino, to deliver the table to Nicholas I in 1826 It was Michelangelo Barberi, following in his father’s footsteps, Giuseppe Barberi, who became the predominant and greatest micromosaic artist in history.The illustrious table eventually found its way into the Demidoff Collections in Tuscany since it featured as Lot 316 at the ‘The Villa di San Donato Sale of the Century’ organised by Prince Paul Demidoff, 2nd Prince of San Donato, on 5 May 1880. The speculation is that Czar Alexandre II deaccessioned the masterpiece, so sold the piece to the Demidoffs, finding it not to his artistic taste. Successive generations of Demidoffs were collectors of micromosaic masterpieces starting with Nicholas Demidoff (1773-1828) who was followed by his sons, Paul Demidoff (1798 – 1840) and Anatole Demidoff, 1st Prince of San Donato (1813-1870). It was Anatole who commissioned from Michelangelo Barberi a series of micromosaic pavements in front of various fireplaces at Villa di San Donato. Anatole’s nephew, Paul Demidoff, continued the engagement commissioning similar micromosaic works from Michelangelo Barberi for Villa Demidoff / Pratolino.

My wife and I both loved this book! It reflects impeccable research and scholarship, yet is also accessible and enjoyable for those of us who have a more casual interest in art. My wife has formal training in art appreciation, I definitely do not, and we are both very glad to have purchased it. It provides a very comprehensive coverage of micromosaics and the pictures really bring the narrative to life. We highly recommend this book to anyone who has an academic and/or a "coffee table" interest in this type of art.