A micro-mosaic depicting a dog and a duc after Gioacchino Barberi

A circular polychrome glass micro-mosaic depicting a hunting dog wearing a collar—probably a pointer—leaning towards a waterhole in an attentive pose. The animal, rendered with great naturalism, has a coat finely shaded in shades of brown, beige and white. The scene unfolds in a bucolic landscape: in the foreground, a small stream where a waterbird rests, which the dog is staring at; to the right, dense vegetation with varied foliage; to the left, a sketched shrub. The background is dominated by a clear sky dotted with stylised clouds.
The Barberi family were a renowned family of Roman mosaic artists who were much in demand amongst the European aristocracy. They drew inspiration from Roman mosaics. Johachin Barberi specialised in creating animal motifs and worked notably for Prince Anatole Demidoff in the mid-19th century. Visible micromosaic: 7.7 cm