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Giacomo Raffaelli (Italian, 1753-1836) and his workshop
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See original version (French)
225
-
Giacomo Raffaelli (Italian, 1753-1836) and his workshop
View…
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €4,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Giacomo Raffaelli (Italian, 1753-1836) and his workshop
View of the Colosseum, 1784.
Micro-mosaic on copper.
Signed, situated and dated on the reverse.
Rome, San Sebastianello.
Mounted on a circular tortoiseshell, gold and vermeil box. Gold interior and iron base.
Vanneau head hallmark used in Paris for the discharge of small gold or silver items under the management of Henri Clavel and Jean-François Kalendrin between 1782 and 1789.
Height: 25.5 Diameter: 80.4 mm.
Gross weight: 117.1 g.
Accidents.
Provenance: Estate of Pierre de Barrigue de Montvallon (1923-2020), known as Piem, Notre Dame d'Oé.
View of the Colosseum, micromosaic on a tortoiseshell, gold and vermeil box by Raffaelli and his studio, 1784.
Bibliography: Anna Maria Massinelli, "Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836): maestro di stile e di mosaico", Florence, Aska, 2018, a very similar composition reproduced on page 240.
Micromosaic representing The Colosseum in Rome, by Giacomo Raffaeli in 1784, on a gold, enamel, tortoiseshell and vermeil box in Paris.
Descended from a family of mosaicists who worked at the pontifical court, Raffaelli invented the "mosaico in piccolo", or micro-mosaic, technique around 1775. His first exhibition was a great success, and he went on to produce a wide variety of objects: table trays, medallions for box decorations and micro-mosaic paintings. He produced numerous pieces for sovereigns such as the King of Poland and Pope Pius VII, for whom he made a clock presented to Napoleon, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (Loan Gilbert.4:1 to 4-2008). At Napoleon's request, he was sent to Milan to run a mosaic workshop responsible for reproducing Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper (now in the Church of the Friars Minor in Vienna) to replace the fresco that the Emperor wanted to send to Paris.
Our mosaic, signed and dated, dates from a relatively early stage in the artist's career. This view of the Colosseum is typical of the enthusiasm of the European elite for studying Roman remains during the Grand Tour. The Arch of Janus and the Temple of Sybil (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) remain his favourite representations. The size and technique of our box are similar to another, also signed, depicting the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, made around 1800 (Sotheby's, London, An Italian Collecting Journey, 26 March 2026, no. 432) and a brooch depicting the Colosseum (Christie's, London, 5 December 2019, no. 148).
N.C.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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