Antique Micromosaic Gold Brooch and Earrings Suite in 18K Gold, Circa 1870

This beautifully preserved 19th-century Italian micromosaic suite (formed by hand from minute pieces of coloured glass) comprises a brooch and matching pair of earrings, each finely worked with early Christian symbols on a rich red ground. Doves, the Chi-Rho monogram, Alpha and Omega, grapes and wheat speak of faith, eternity and the Eucharist. The brooch bears a Vatican workshop stamp, linking this Victorian suite to a Roman atelier, the Vatican Mosaic Studio, known for exceptional craftsmanship and giving it a rare resonance after nearly a century and a half.