Rectangular box of dark tortoiseshell, the cover inset with a fine contemporary Roman micromosaic view of the Temples of Vesta and Sybil at Tivoli with St. Martino bridge and the cascading waterfalls of the Aniene river, with maiden in the foreground, within a polished gold frame with two thumbpieces raised in the tortoiseshell, with old label inside partly legible inscribed 'John West / 6 March 1819, apparently unmarked
2⁷⁄₈ in. (7.4 cm.) long
gross weight 3 oz. 14 dwt. (115 gr.)

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Lot Essay

The micromosaic depicts a view of Tivoli and the Temples of Vesta and Sibyl, much favoured subjects by painters and Grand-Tour enthusiasts who wanted to keep a memory of their experience and of these spectacular view.

Tivoli was founded in 1215 B.C. and was known for its sulphur mineral water springs. Accessed from the St. Martino bridge, the so-called Temple of Sibyl, and the nearby Temple of Vesta were erected in the early first century BCE. The circular temple was probably dedicated to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, whose cult was entrusted to the Vestals, or perhaps to Tiburno, the hero who gave his name to the city. The Temple of Sibyl is supposedly dedicated to the Tiburtine Sybil or Albunea worshipped as a goddess in Tivoli and bestowed with prophetic powers.