Italian Micro Mosaic Gold Tone Brooch
Eight vibrant flowers adorn the center design of this vintage brooch. Originally owned by a wonderful lady named Anita. It belonged to her when she was 13 years old and she kept it ever since. Three flowers in burnt-orange and lilac are accented by smaller white, green, purple and and yellow flowers. The background glass stones are in mint green and held in place by a gold tone rope and scroll frame. The origin mark of Italy is stamped on the back and the locking pin is in perfect working order. In very good condition with NO missing stones or breaks to metal work. Would look fantastic on a coat, handbag, or as a something old for a brides bouquet or as a hair piece. This brooch would also look fantastic on a gent's lapel or collar center for that pop of goth glam.
* Gold Tone (NOT solid gold)
* No Maker's Mark
* Glass stone micro mosaic floral design
* 2 5/16" inches long x 1 9/16" inches tall
* 15.40 grams
* c. 1950's-1960's
Micro mosaics are created from tiny fragments of tesserae, generally made from glass or enamel, set to form small pictures. Tesserae can be as small as the size of the lead in a mechanical pencil (about 1 mm).
Italy is given much of the credit as the origin nation for micro mosaics, and many agree that the style was refined and reached its peak in the 1800s, but the style and its popularity extended beyond that.
According to Lang Antiques, micro mosaics have links to the Vatican. The Vatican Mosaic Studio opened in 1727 to convert some of the paintings in the city’s basilica to mosaics for preservation. There, artisans began to experiment with making tesserae into small, portable works of art.
Demand for this new style of mosaic also was then further helped along by the “Grand Tour,” an era in the 19th century in which aristocrats would take an extended trip around Europe, particularly France and Italy, to see the cultural and historical sites. They often wanted souvenirs their trips, making micro mosaic jewels of sites and scenes the perfect keepsake.
Due to the high demand for the style in the 19th century, an influx of workers migrated to Rome to make micro mosaics as a steady way to make a living.