A Roman art in miniature

Micro­mosaics.

Minute fragments of hand-spun glass become fur, feathers, water, stone and sky. Kempini brings together connoisseurship of historic works with a living understanding of their craft.

Sell a micromosaicDiscover the art
Two Greyhounds, micromosaic panel by G. Wekler, 1853
Mosaico minuto

Painting
with glass.

A micromosaic is composed of exceptionally small glass tesserae, cut from slender rods of coloured enamel known as smalti filati. Placed one by one into a prepared support, they allow a mosaicist to model extraordinary detail.

The art developed in Rome in the late eighteenth century around the expertise of the Vatican Mosaic Studio. Portable panels and jewellery became prized souvenirs of the Grand Tour, while the finest masters elevated the medium far beyond souvenir production.

Detail showing the minute tesserae of the Doves of Pliny micromosaic
The specialist’s eye

Fineness is only
the beginning.

Very small tesserae can signal technical ambition, but quality is also found in their shape, direction, colour transitions and the artist’s ability to make glass behave like another material.

  • Expressive, directional tesserae rather than mechanical filling
  • Subtle modulation of colour and light
  • Confident composition and convincing detail
  • Appropriate support, mount and historic construction
  • Condition that respects the original surface
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Selected works

A closer view.

Historic reference works and creations by Kempini reveal the range of micromosaic—from an intimate portrait to a monumental decorative panel.

Micromosaic panel depicting the Doves of Pliny, Roman school, mid-nineteenth century
Doves of PlinyRoman school, mid-nineteenth century · diameter 30 cm · private collection
Falcon micromosaic created by Kempini in 2012
FalconCreated and produced by Kempini, 2012 · more than 20,000 hand-spun glass tesserae · 16.6 × 15.7 cm
Two Greyhounds micromosaic panel by G. Wekler, dated 1853
Two GreyhoundsG. Wekler, 1853 · 14.6 × 10.5 cm · courtesy Sir Arthur Gilbert Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Large contemporary micromosaic lake landscape with butterflies and water lilies
Lake landscapeApproximately five million hand-spun glass elements · 240 × 150 cm
Names to know

Masters and workshops.

The story of micromosaic is inseparable from Rome, the Vatican workshops and exceptional makers whose work can still be recognised today.

1753–1836

Giacomo Raffaelli

A founding figure of the medium, renowned for the Doves of Pliny and for translating Leonardo’s Last Supper into monumental mosaic.

1787–1867

Michelangelo Barberi

Celebrated for elaborate micromosaic table tops and patronised by European nobility.

Founded 1727

Vatican Mosaic Studio

Its command of durable mosaic copies and refined glass colours created the technical world from which micromosaic emerged.

An inherited piece?

Let us take
a closer look.

You do not need to identify or date your micromosaic. Send a few photographs and approximate dimensions for a personal, confidential review.

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Panels & plaquesSigned or unsigned
Jewellery & boxesIndividual works or sets
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