{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O157761"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O157761/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BW4388/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BW4388/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BW4388","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BW4389","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BW4370","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BW4266","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O157761/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O157761","accessionNumber":"LOAN:GILBERT.490:1-2008","objectType":"Bonbonniere","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This picture of a landscape when turned sideways depicts a man's face in profile. Compositions that included both natural forms and human characteristics are called anthropomorphic landscapes. Although such scenes can be found in almost every other visual medium, this example, executed in micromosaic, is unique. It is likely after an engraving by Claude François Fortier (1775–1835).\r\n\r\nThe term 'micromosaic' is used to describe mosaics made of the smallest glass pieces. Some micromosaics contain more than 5000 pieces per square inch. The earliest attempts at micromosaic revealed visible joins between the pieces (known as <i>tesserae</i>) and a lack of perspective. Later artists such as Antonio Aguatti made huge advances in micromosaic technique, resulting in renderings that were truer to life. Glass micromosaic technique developed in the 18th century, in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop in Rome, where they still undertake restoration and original work today. \r\n\r\nSir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes.  Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.\r\nOn long-term loan to Los Angeles County Museum from 2010.","physicalDescription":"Round tortoiseshell box, the cover set with a circular mosaic depicting a large rocky mountain supporting wispy foliage, two figures on a road in the foreground and on the right a smaller mountain with structures on top of it. When turned 45 degrees anti-clockwise, the image appears as a man's face, the foliage forming his hair and eyebrows. Around the border of this image is a French inscription in mosaic.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"tortoise shell","id":"AAT11837"},{"text":"mosaic glass","id":"AAT260731"},{"text":"brass","id":"AAT10946"}],"techniques":[{"text":"forming","id":"AAT53098"},{"text":"micromosaic","id":"x42499"},{"text":"gilding","id":"AAT53789"},{"text":"framing","id":"AAT240903"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Tortoiseshell box set with micromosaic in a brass frame","categories":[{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2008BW4388","2008BW4389","2008BW4370","2008BW4266"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"72","id":"THES49722"},"free":"","case":"CA003","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"72","id":"THES49722"},"free":"","case":"CA003","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"bonbonniere","id":""}],[{"text":"bonbonniere","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Rome","id":"x29106"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1825","earliest":"1825-01-01","latest":"1825-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"8.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"2.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Measured 24/05/24 IW","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'LE TEMPS, QUI DETRUIT TOUT DONNE A TOUT L'EXISTENCE, DES DEBRIS QUE TU VOIS J'AI RECU LA NAISSANCE","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"Time, which destroys all, gives life to all; from the ruins you see I came into being.","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inscribed around the rim"}],"objectHistory":"Provenance: Ivano Constantini, Rome, 1975.\n\nHistorical significance: The subject may have been inspired by the work of engravers Wenzel Hollar (1607-77) and Joseph Friedrich Leopold (1628-1726); The closest model is an engraving by Claude François Fortier (1775–1835).","historicalContext":"Compositions of natural forms with human characteristics are known as anthropomorphic landscapes. This is apparently the only example recorded in micromosaic.","briefDescription":"Round tortoiseshell box, the cover set with a circular mosaic depicting a large rocky mountain supporting wispy foliage, two figures on a road in the foreground and on the right a smaller mountain with structures on top of it. When turned 45 degrees anti-clockwise, the image appears as a man's face, the foliage forming his hair and eyebrows. Around the border of this image is a French inscription in mosaic.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Gonzalez-Palacios, Alvar. <u>The Art of Mosaics: Selections from the Gilbert Collection</u>.  Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1977. 143 p., ill. Cat. no. 57. ISBN: 0875870805"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Gonzalez-Palacios, Alvar and Steffi Röttgen with essays by Steffi Röttgen, Claudia Przyborowski; essays and new catalogue material translated by Alla Theodora Hall. <u>The Art of Mosaics: Selections from the Gilbert Collection</u>. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1982. Cat. no. 61."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Gabriel, Jeanette Hanisee with contributions by Anna Maria Massinelli and essays by Judy Rudoe and Massimo Alfieri. <u>Micromosaics: The Gilbert Collection</u>. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd. in association with The Gilbert Collection, 2000. 310 p., ill. Cat. no. 142, p. 211. ISBN 0856675113."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Williams, Elizabeth A. <u>The Gilbert Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art</u>.  Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), 2010, fig. 40, p. 72. ISBN 9780875872100"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Bonbonnière with landscape containing a man’s face\r\nAbout 1825\r\n\r\nRome, Italy\r\nGlass micromosaic and tortoiseshell\r\nInscribed in French ‘Time, which destroys all, gives existence to all; from the ruins which you see, I came into being’\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.490:1, 2-2008","date":{"text":"2009","earliest":"2009-01-01","latest":"2009-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.490:1-2008","LOAN:GILBERT.490:2-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"490","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"MM 227"},{"type":{"text":"LACMA Loan Number 2010","id":"THES57416"},"number":"L.2010.9.8a-b"},{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"MIN 73"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","bonbonniere [1]","bonbonniere [2]"],"assets":["2024NW1912","2018LC1517","2019LP3464","2019LU9609","2019LU1150","2019LV1956"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-16","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-26","availableToBook":false}}