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MOSAICO MINUTO
After the great realizations of Roman, Byzantine and Medieval, the modern mosaic established itself in Rome with the creation of the Vatican Mosaic Studio, which, as of the end of the sixteenth century, curated the implementation and maintenance of ornamental devices of St. Peter's Basilica.
Integral part of the decorative program of the church was replaced with copies of the original paintings in mosaic non-
At the end of the eighteenth century mosaics dating from the production of minutes, unlike the mosaics "big", were designed to be seen up close, in the form of small plates generally applied to snuff or on tabletop items, more rarely embedded on pins or grouped in series forming bracelets and necklaces.
The subjects represented, no longer relevant to the religious sphere, were initially linked to the neoclassical style for allegory, finding their inspiration directly in the ancient, in a later phase, the repertoire was extended to representations of flowers, animals and ruins magnificently set in landscape scenes and lived with a romantic lyricism of extraction.
With the consolidation in the repertoire of views of Rome and its countryside, the kind acquired a connotation more markedly "Roman".
The diffusion of demand and the formation of the first collections induced the Fabbrica di San Pietro to formalize this production and the mosaic "small" made its entry into the Mosaic Studio alongside the traditional way "big" (1795).
The international circulation of the most precious artifacts donated by the Pope to diplomats and sovereign state visit, contributed further the prestige of the micromosaic, which became a favorite of the rich and cultured purchase traveler's "Grand Tour" to Rome.
TECHNICAL EXECUTIVE OF MOSAICO MINUTO
The elements that make up the mosaic are traditionally called tiles from the Greek word τέσσαρες. (four), with reference to their contour which is normally quadrilateral. The tiles are made of a glassy material said enamel, obtained by the fusion of silica mixed with mineral components that give it color.
These enamels were produced by Romans alchemists , who jealously guarded their recipes, and they were delivered in the form of "breads" compact shape approximately circular or quadrangular. In the mosaics minutes, whose pieces have sectional dimensions less than a millimeter and a length not exceeding two or three millimeters, substituting the enamel technique cut, adopted in the compositions of greater dimensions, that of the "spinning": the enamel, fused in front the flame was reduced in long thin rods from which the artist, with the use of tweezers and saws, obtain small tiles.
The construction technique of micromosaics consisted, first, in transferring the preparatory sketch of the image on a support, usually chalk, reporting the traits in charcoal. It was proceeded, and then, for the removal of small portions of the support, taking care to apply sealing compound the cavity thus obtained and to insert in it the tiles. Instead of chalk, he could sometimes be used in the drawing paper. In the next step, a gap filling was made of colored wax to penetrate. Finally, operation once the latter had hardened, the surface of micro-
THE TECHNIQUE EVOLUTION
The maturation process of the mosaic minute was marked by important milestones in the evolution of playing techniques.
Between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth processing was very careful and meticulous. An essential improvement occurred with Antonio Aguatti who developed a new type of mixing by combining multiple colors and halftones on the same spun and changing the scope of the traditional four-
The technique of "malmischiato" was further refined by Joseph Matthias, under the direction of Michelangelo Barberi, he adopted the new procedure mix enamels with the use of the lamp goldsmith: and thereby obtain shades that will be called to breath, brighter and sharper than those spun by the traditional method.
In the mid-
With the advance of the century and a succession of ever increasing demands from the market, they were designed to run faster techniques, through which it came to the realization in one piece of a whole pattern, such as columns or frames.
THEMES ICONOGRAPHIC
The allegorical subjects, especially the Allegories of Love, formed by the neo-
The archaeological discoveries, made from the beginning of the eighteenth century, and the consequent interest they generated in the iconographic choices, also influenced the field of micromosaics. The monuments were played the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, the Pantheon, the Temple of Vesta, the Flavian Amphitheater, Temple of Minerva Medica and some Roman bridges.
Source of inspiration were, first, the incisions produced by the mid-
They were also reproduced over a period of time rather large so-
Among other iconographic themes that are most used, the animals certainly constituted one of the subjects preferred the late eighteenth century and the beginning of the next century. it passed from the animal isolated and immobile in that group, and then sent to freer compositional patterns in the representations of the struggle between them.
The floral theme, to which reference is often the ancient mosaic, was instead chosen by the mosaic to show their skills in crafting, and chromatic choices.
The figures in traditional costume, finally, were one of the most difficult subjects to adapt to the technique of mosaic minute, as the softness of the faces ill-
THE ARTISTS
It was not the custom of mosaic sign his own compositions. When this happened, the presence of the signature did not report much the authorship of the individual works, as the continuity of a commitment to guarantee the overall quality of their productions.
Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-
After him, other mosaic artists increased their expressive possibilities of micro-