Italian Grand Tour Micro Mosaic Brooch & Earring Suite Depicting Ancient Roman Monuments

An exquisite souvenir of Victorian artistry and travel, this Italian Grand Tour micro mosaic suite captures the fascination of Victorian travelers with the grandeur of classical Rome.

The rectangular brooch, bordered in engraved gilt metal and mounted on a polished onyx plaque, features a superb micro mosaic of the Pantheon, one of Rome’s most celebrated architectural masterpieces. Each tiny glass tessera has been carefully hand-set to recreate the building’s iconic portico and dome with remarkable precision, evoking the monumental scale and enduring beauty of the ancient structure.

The matching earrings depict two complementary views of Roman temples, most likely the Temple of Vesta and the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum, both framed by onyx and fitted with gold-plated wires.

Embodying the height of the Grand Tour tradition, this rare three-piece suite is a testament to the extraordinary precision and artistry of Italian mosaicists, an evocative keepsake of 19th-century travel, taste, and the timeless allure of antiquity.

Circa 1880