Large Georgian Micromosaic Brooch with Sardinian Girl

A wonderful, Georgian-era, micromosaic brooch, modeled in 18k yellow gold, whose subject is a demure woman, dressed in traditional Sardinian costume: a colorful, patterned skirt, a blouse, a jacket and scarf. This micromosaic resembles a painting, in its fine detail and its subtle use of light and shadow! It is made with the tiniest, hand-cut glass blocks (tesserae) in single colors, as well as more complex, multi-color tesserae, cut from patterned canes. The portrait sits inside a border of lapis glass, and surrounding this blue border, a gold bezel surmounted by a pillowy gold frame. The bezel and surmounting frame are decorated with beautifully-chased baroque details. We find the contrast, here, between the all black wall and the woman's colorful garments very striking and unusual! This brooch closes with a c clasp.

The brooch fitting, here, is original, but it was turned at some point, so the wearer could fasten the brooch horizontally, rather than vertically. We have left this historical alteration intact, but can return the fitting to its original orientation, upon request.

Materials

18k gold
Glass

Age

c. 1820

Dimensions

Measures approx 1 3/4" x 1 1/2".