Mosaicista bizantino, Micro-mosaic diptych
- Authors
- Byzantine artists - Florentine craftsmen
- Date
- 1300-1499
- Collocation
- Sala delle cantorie
- Original location
- Baptistery of Saint John, treasure
- Material
- Wood, silver, gold, glass paste, gold, wax
- Technique
- Micro-mosaic, embossing, painting, gilding
- Dimensions
- Height: 27 cm; Width: 17,7 cm; Thickness: 2,7 cm;
Byzantine diptych in micro-mosaic dated to the beginning of the 14th century, depicting twelve scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin. The eagle with the bale of cloth in its claws painted on the wooden chest is the symbol of the Cloth Merchants’ Guild, who acquired the diptych in 1394 from the noble Venetian Nicoletta Antonio Grioni, widow of a senior official in service at the Byzantine court at the time of John VI Cantacuzenus, emperor from 1347 to 1354, where the diptych was probably acquired. The tablets depict twelve scenes from the life of Christ and Mary corresponding to the great liturgical feasts, composed by tiny tiles set in a layer of wax.