Victorian Mosaic Butterfly Pendant

A finely crafted 18k pietra dura micro-mosaic butterfly pendant circa 1875, possibly originally a brooch converted at some point in the last 150 years. The workmanship displays the incredible skill of the 19th century mosaic studios: while the image looks painted on, it's actually tiny pieces of colored jasper and marble, hand-cut before the benefit of lasers, and painstakingly fit into the white marble field.

Details: Measuring a hair shy of 1 1/4" in diameter, the pendant is not marked for gold content but XRF tests to 18k. The pendant weighs approximately 10 grams, hung from a 24" gold-filled cable chain.

Condition: In excellent condition with a light patina and slight nibbles along the black marble border of the image, difficult to see without magnification.

History: Pietra dura is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted colored stones to create images, as opposed to glass tiles. Such mosaics have been produced for literally thousands of years, with earliest examples attributed to the Ancient Greeks. Walls and panels have been produced which are so well-crafted as to resemble oil paintings from just a few feet away.

The popularity of European travel in the 19th century, often referred to as "The Grand Tour" and considered essential to the completion of a well-bred person's education, encouraged artisans to produce small portable souvenirs like jewelry using classical and popular naturalistic themes in micro mosaic form. Mosaic craftsmen in Rome teamed with jewelers in Florence to produce beautifully designed earrings, rings, brooches and necklaces for the elite to purchase as a remembrance of their trip.