Snuffbox, Antonio Aguatti, Rome, 1800-1825
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1800-1825
The depiction of dogs, a symbol of faithful love, was popular in the 19th century. This image by Antonio Aguatti was copied by many other mosaicists. Glass micromosaic technique developed in the 18th century, in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop in Rome, which continues to undertake restoration work today.
An oval tortoiseshell, gold and copper snuffbox, the cover set with an oval micromosaic depicting a black and white spaniel dog sitting in a field with a landscape in the background and the trunk of a small tree to the left. The image is signed by the artist in tesserae.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 4
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Provenance: J. Kugel, Paris, 1973. Historical significance: Antonio Aguatti's studio was at 96 Piazza di Spagna, Rome. He was regarded as amongst the top twenty most distinguished mosaicists. His studio was responsible for developing the geometric shapes and the fused colours of micromosaic tesserae and thus the painterly quality of the medium.
His table with Cupid in a Chariot is also in the Gilbert Collection but not currently on display. Dogs were symbolic of faithful love and representations of dogs were thus appropriate gifts to a loved one. The popularity of paintings representing domestic pets was developed by the English artist Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-72) who influenced European painters as well.
The French critic Theophile Gautier (1811-72) wrote of Landseer that he gave 'his beloved animals soul, thought, poetry and passion'.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Micromosaic, tortoiseshell, copper and gold
- Dimensions
- Height: 5.8 cm; Width: 7.7 cm; Depth: 3 cm (Measured 29/01/24 IW)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Aguatti, Antonio
- Place recorded
- Rome
Design
- Marks and inscriptions
- Signed 'Aguatti' for Antonio Aguatti, in tesserae, bottom centre.
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London collection record for this single object (sentences kept verbatim apart from removed sale or rarity wording); how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Candidate id
- vam-O157730
- Museum object name
- Snuffbox
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- LOAN:GILBERT.489:1, 2-2008
- Museum system number
- O157730
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and dating against a specialist reference; this entry documents one recorded example.