A Micromosaic Plaque Depicting Romulus and Remus
Set against a Black Slate Ground
Set against a Black Slate Ground
After the painting Romulus and Remus by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Rome, circa 1870
Probably made by the Studio Vaticano del Mosaico
Probably made by the Studio Vaticano del Mosaico
11 in (28 cm) square
cf. Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel, Micromosaics: The Gilbert Collection, 2000, p.165, no.97
cf. Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel, Micromosaics: The Gilbert Collection, 2000, p.165, no.97
This finely detailed micromosaic plaque depicts Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, who were rescued as infants from the river Tiber by a female wolf. The wolf raised the twins until they were discovered by the shepherd Faustulus. This particular representation is after the painting by the Flemish artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Romulus and Remus, 1615-1616, housed in the Pinacoteca Capitolina in Rome.
The Gilbert Collection holds an identical plaque with an elaborate border, displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Two micromosaic tabletops at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg have central compositions similar to this one.
The Gilbert Collection holds an identical plaque with an elaborate border, displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Two micromosaic tabletops at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg have central compositions similar to this one.
