A rare Italian white marble and polychrome mosaic glass table top attributed to Francesco Sibilio, Roman circa 1825, the murrhine glass probably Roman and antique, the base after the Antique

of circular form, inlaid with a six-point star-shaped motif within an opaque turquoise glass garland with antique fragments on a glass verde antico ground, within a cube and geometric border with red porphyry and reticelli glass, on a fluted white marble stem terminating in a circular base; base restored

Comparative Literature:
Martine S. Newby, Francesco Sibilio and the Re-use of Ancient Roman Glass in the 19th century
Alvar Gonzalez-Palacios,``Lavori di Sibilio',  L'Armadio Delle Meraviglie, Milan, 1991, p. 86

This table top and those in lots 97 and 98 can be attributed to Francesco Sibilio on the basis of strong similarities with other table tops either signed by or attributed to him.

Comparative table tops by Francesco Sibilio:
-a table top inlaid with the same six-pointed star motif signed and dated F. Sibilio 1824, illustrated by Alvar Gonzalez-Palacios, op. cit., reproduced here in fig.1.

-a table top, also inlaid with the same six-pointed star motif, sold as lot 143, Christie's, London, 1994 (formerly attributed to Giovanni Rossignani).

-a table top by F. Sibilio dated 1823, sold at Christie's, London, lot 267, 11th May 2000. 

-also see lot 248, for a top attributed to F.Sibilio, sold in these Rooms, 13th December 1996.

Francesco Sibilio:
He was active in Rome in the second quarter of the 19th century (during the papacy of Pius VII). Sibilio was not only a merchant and craftsman specialising in stone works but also a collector of very rare stones himself as well as being one of the leading experts in this field. He not only made table tops but also produced objects made of semi-precious stones and he is the first known craftsman who combined fragments of ancient glass with specimen marbles. The Vatican, for example acquired his collection of over 400 ancient coins.    

As stated by Alvar Gonzalez-Palacios in the foonote of lot 244, Christie's, London, 15th December 1994 sale, some particularly unusual marbles have been named after Sibilio, by Francesco Belli (see post). The term 'Granito Mischio di Sibilio' and 'Sibilio's red lumachella or madreporite'  are used in recognition of Sibilio's expertise in this field. Faustino Corsi, the author of the important treatise on Ancient marbles, Della Pietre Antiche, Rome, 1845, records certain pieces executed by Sibilio, and Alvar Gonzalez-Palacios has traced some of these works including a top signed and dated 1824.

The foremost dealers and collectors of specimen marbles in the first half of the 19th century were: Faustino Corsi, and two brothers Tomasso and Francesco Belli and in the manuscript tickets for individual marbles  from both collections frequently refer to Francesco Sibilio as the supplier.

Ancient Mosaic Glass:

Mosaic glass objects from as early as c15 BC have been found in Mesopotamia and Iran and the technique was highly developed by the ancient Romans, most notable at Alexandria c. 200 BC-100AD. This technique was revived in Venice in the 18th century.  Mosaic glass objects mostly bowls dating from the 1st century B.C. to the early 1st century A.D. provided the glass fragments which with great skill were inlaid in marble tables of this type. The fragments included millefiori glass, ribbon-glass, reticelli and glass imitating marbles such as giallo antico and verde antico. The excavated fragments were then heated in order to smooth and level them and  were used in jewellery or set in smaller marble objects such as paperweights.