Micromosaic of Cristo Morto, Rome, 19th Century

Rome and the Vatican acquired an international reputation since the 18th Century for the artistic production of micromosaics . During the eighteenth century several artists and studios became a reference for prestigious commissions from the main European monarchies, specializing in iconographic and portrait micromosaics. These artworks began to circulate in Europe also as papal gifts or gifts from high representatives of the curia, a custom perpetuated through the centuries.