Micromosaic

[2] Another is in Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome and was crucial in developing the iconography of the Man of Sorrows in the West; it was believed to be an original image from the time of Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century, but is now dated to around 1300 in Constantinople.

Typical scenes were landscapes of Roman views, rarely of any artistic originality, and the micromosaics were small panels used to inset into furniture or onto snuffboxes and similar objects, or for jewellery.

Fortunato Pio Castellani (1794–1865) expanded the range of subjects in his work in the "archeological style", copying Roman and Early Christian wall-mosaics.

Italy was a very popular tourist spot as it had a long and prestigious history in arts and culture — a favourite subject in aristocratic circles.

It was also a famous glass producer, and canny Italian craftsmen quickly turned their glass-making skills to making stunning miniature micromosaic pictures for their rich visitors.

[citation needed] Mosaic work jewellery of this period usually depicted famous Italian landmarks such as the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica, though occasionally Roman mythology was a subject too.