Snuff box, micromosaic, gold, London, 1828-1829

The range of colours and the variety of forms of tesserae are typical of a micromosaic from the first quarter of the 19th century. This Italian plaque is mounted in a gold box with London hallmarks for the year 1828-1829. In order to protect the fragile mosaic, a domed glass has been added, possibly indicating that the box was used on a daily basis.

Tesserae with dimensions between 0.3 and about 0.5 millimetres have been used. An almost infinite variety of shades of colours - ranging from a light peachy rose on the lower left, to a rich blue on the upper right - has been used for the sky. The hues of the browns and greens are equally impressive. They include circular and multicoloured tesserae, such as the knotholes of the tree on the right-hand side. The face of the seated figure also consists of a single, bicoloured tessera. The composition and the motifs of the mosaic are primarily inspired by the work of Claude Lorrain (1600-1682), but do not copy one painting in particular. Nevertheless, the extent to which the depictions of the sky at dawn or dusk emulate Lorrain's concept of light - with the twin trees at the centre of the mosaic - is remarkable.

It is possible that the subject matter of this plaque - a group of three figures by the river at dusk - might be the Disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke, 24,13-27). However, the composition is based upon a work by Claude Lorrain depicting a mythological subject of an entirely different nature: the seated figure with two standing figures opposite is an inverted and reduced repetition taken from Claude Lorrain's Judgment of Paris. The motif of the twin trees with green and coloured leaves can be found in several paintings by Claude Lorrain, as well as those by Salvatore Rosa.

All of these pictures were published as prints that were readily available for mosaicists in the 19th century. Gold snuffbox, the cover with a mosaic depicting a river landscape with figures and a city in the background.