Get your fill of beautiful things this January with the Gibbes’ special exhibition A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke. The exhibition opens on Jan. 17 and runs through May 3.
Micromosaics are “exquisitely crafted plaques” that contain up to 1,400 delicately shaded tiles of glass per square inch. Pretty incredible, no? Micromosaics were sold to travelers on their Grand Tour through Italy. They were made into jewelry, boxes, paper weights, and more.
While micromosaics passed out of fashion toward the end of the 19th century, the tradition stays alive with Elizabeth Locke’s private collection.
If you’re particularly interested in these tiny talismans of delight you may want to head to Locke’s symposium on the opening day of the exhibition, Jan. 17. From 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. you’ll hear from experts, scholars, and Locke herself, about the Grand Tour.
Speakers will discuss the 19th century’s fascination with micromosaics as well as the societal requisite to travel to “the cradle of western civilization.”
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