THE MOSAIC MANUFACTORY.
Orders must be obtained from the Rev. Monsignor Fiorani, at the Sacristy.
It is entered by a corridor from the ground floor at the left-hand corner of the Court of S. Damaso. The mosaics in S. Peter's, S. Paul's, and other churches, were manufactured here. Some mosaics take a long time to execute, as great patience and art are required in blending the shades, &c., upwards of 27,000 different shades of the coloured vetri being kept in stock.
A plate, generally of metal, of the required size, is first surrounded by a margin rising about three-quarters of an inch above the surface. A mastic cement, composed of powdered stone, lime, and linseed oil, is then spread over as a coating, perhaps a quarter of an inch in thickness. When set, this is again covered with plaster-of-Paris rising to a level with the margin, upon which is traced a very careful outline of the picture to be copied, and just so much as will admit of the insertion of the small pieces of smalto or glass is removed from time to time with a fine chisel. The workman then selects from the trays, in which are kept thousands of varieties of colour, a piece of the tint which he wants, and carefully brings it to the necessary shape. The piece is then moistened with a little cement, and bedded in a proper situation, the process being repeated until the picture is finished, when the whole, being ground down to an even face and polished, becomes an imperishable work of art. The process is the same for making the small mosaics so much employed at the present day for boxes, covers, or articles of jewellery, and this work is sometimes upon almost a microscopic scale. The Florentine mosaic, which is chiefly used for the decoration of altars and tombs, or for cabinets, tops of tables, coffers, and the like, is composed of precious materials, in small slices or veneers, and by taking advantage of the natural tints which characterize the marble, the agate, or the jasper, very admirable effects may be produced in imitation of fruits, flowers, or ornaments. The use of this kind of mosaic is extremely restricted, on account of the great value and expense, not only of the materials, but of the labour employed upon them. None but the hardest stones are used; every separate piece must be backed by thicker slices of slate or marble to obtain additional strength; and every minute portion must be ground until it exactly corresponds with the pattern previously cut.
THE VATICAN MUSEUM.
Open every day from 9 till 3, except on Thursday and Saturday, when it is closed. Permission must be obtained of Monsignor Macchi, at his office in the Vatican, from 10 till 1. Each permit admits a party of five, and can only be used once.
Entrance is obtained by going round to the back of S. Peter's, thus enabling us on our way to admire the vast proportions of the latter. The Vatican Museum was founded by Julius II., and consists of those objects of art that have been discovered, and which once graced the principal buildings of ancient Rome. At the entrance the new official English catalogue by Signor Massi, the conservator of the galleries, can be purchased; it gives a full account of the objects of art. In so vast a collection, we call attention to the principal works only.
Entering on the left by the iron gates, filled in with glass, and ascending the marble stairs, we enter
THE HALL OF THE GREEK CROSS.
In the centre of the floor is a splendid mosaic, found at the Villa of Cicero. A bust of Minerva forms the centre, around which are twelve planets and various phases of the moon. The outer circle (modern) is composed of masks and figures. The principal statues are 559 and 597, Augustus; 564, Lucius Verus; 565, Hercules; 574, Venus of Cnidos; 566, left, red porphyry Sarcophagus, which contained the remains of Constantia, the daughter of Constantine the Great; 589, opposite, generally attributed to Helena, the mother of the Christian emperor. (See [page 327] .) Before the door is a fine mosaic representing a faun watering a flower. At the foot of the stairs, by two sphinxes, is a beautiful basket of flowers in mosaic. We now enter