Cast Court, South Kensington Museum

Two architectural courts were designed by General Henry Scott in 1870 for the museum to house both cast reproductions of architectural elements, as well as some original pieces. The space opened in 1873. Salviati and Company made two mosaic reproductions that originally hung on the walls of the south-east Court.

The Good Shepherd is a copy of the lunette above the entrance of the Chapel of Galla Placida in Ravenna Italy originally from the 5th century.

The Salviati mosaic lunette on top right in the Weston Cast Court, 2016.

The original mosaic in Ravenna

The mosaic Figure of Christ is a copy from St. Mark's Basilica in Venice from the 13th century. It depicts the Savior giving a benediction (item 8036-1862), acquired by the museum in 1862 for 200BP, but which is now in storage. Salviati made another copy of a St. Mark's mosaic image of Christ for St. Augustine's College in Canterbury.

The museum also bought in 1864 a mosaic medallion of the head of St. John the Evangelist (item 797-1864) from Salviati for 25BP, but it is now also in storage.

Sources:
The Victoria and Albert Museum
Appell, William. Christian Mosaic Pictures: A Catalogue of Reproductions of Christian Mosaics. London: South Kensington Museum, 1877. 17.
Wikimedia Commons
Film London
Metaphor
V& A Search.
Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868.

Columbus Memorial Building, Chicago

W.W. Boyington designed this 14 story building that was built in 1893. This was the same year that the World's Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago. It was located at the southeast corner of State and Washington Streets.

The Venice and Murano Company made the two enamel mosaics that decorated the rear wall of each store on the State Street entrance. One showed the Landing of Columbus and the other the Columbus Before Ferdinand and Isabella. Each panel measured 8.5 feet by 16.5 feet and they were commissioned for the Expo by financiers of the building, law partners Van Higgins and Henry Furber.  They were moved to the building in 1894. The building was destroyed in 1959, however, the mosaics, as well as a 10 foot statue of Columbus and numerous bas reliefs were proposed to be donated to local art organizations. However, the Art Institute rejected the mosaics both because of their size and their dilapidated condition. They were consequently moved to a storage facility.

In 1976, the Landing of Columbus panel was installed on the south wall of the lobby of Columbus Hospital. However, tiles from the other panel had been used to repair it, and it had also been cut into three separate panels in order to fit. The firm used to repair the mosaics - Conrad Schmitt Studios in Wisconsin - was allowed to keep the remaining mosaics. The Landing of Columbus was on display in the hospital for about  decade, until the next round of renovations. It was consequently removed and stored, until it was also given to Schmitt Studios. As of 2012, the three restored panels were still owned by the Gruenke Foundation for the Arts, which is a non-profit organization set up by Schmitt Studios.

Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 126.
National Geographic Channel
Columbian Exposition Dedication Ceremonies Memorial. 1893. 296.
Old Chicago
University of Illinois - Chicago
Architecture Farm
Huebner, Jeff. "Kept in the Dark." Reader. July 8, 1999.

Erfurt Cathedral

Also known as St. Mary's Cathedral, the present Gothic style building is from the 14th or 15th century.

The western facade of the cathedral was decorated in 1870 with a mosaic of the Madonna by Salviati after a design by August Theodor Kaselowsky of Berlin. The triangular picture was 19.5 feet wide and 27 feet high. The Madonna was in the "conventional blue and red", while the Christ child was draped in a white robe. The blue background was adorned with golden stars and an 8 inch elliptical halo surrounded both figures. All of the tesserea, except the stars which were produced locally, were made in Venice.

Undated, color postcard illustrating the mosaic.

1955 photo from the Federal Archives of Germany

Archive photo of the rear of the Cathedral from 1957.

Color photograph from late 1960s

A similar view taken in 2005.

Because of leaking, the neo-Gothic roof of the Cathedral was replaced in 1968 and the gable with the mosaic was removed. The mosaic itself was placed in storage. It was temporarily removed in 1992 to be photographed and cataloged. The cost of restoring the mosaic was found to be prohibitive and it was returned to storage.

Sources:
Murray, John. "Handbook for North Germany and the Rhine." 19th ed. London: 1877, 277.
The Architect and Contract Reporter. "Mosaics in Germany." Vol 5. London: April 8, 1871. 182.
Akpool.de
Wikimedia Commons from the German Federal Archive
Sascha Klauer's flickr Photostream
Erfurt Guide
Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons from the German Federal Archive
gerhard LIEB's Picasa Webalbum
motiv 42