The 'micro mosaic' at Holkham Hall that uses a fascinating, unusual technique pioneered by the Vatican

The Earl of Leicester's fireplace in the Long Library at Holkham is one of the highlights of a 1730s interior designed as part of the family wing of this great house by William Kent.

Set in the overmantle is an image of a lion triumphing over a leopard. It is presented as a painting in a gilt frame — and replaces a seascape by the 17th-century artist Claude Lorrain — but is, in fact, a micro mosaic.

Mosaics were staple of art and design in the Ancient World, but micro mosaics are much newer. The term refers to the minute pieces of glass, or tesserae, used in their composition, with some works having more than 3,000 tesserae per square inch.

The earliest known micro mosaics come from the Byzantine Empire, but the development of this type of artwork owes much to the 16th century decoration of St Peters in Rome. The Vatican commissioned a series of artisans to create micro mosaics, since they're far more robust and hard-wearing than paint. If you've visited the great Basilica you'll have seen endless examples: some 10,000 sq metres of this vast church is decorated in micromosaic. Later artists refined the technique used to create micromosaics, and from the late 18th century they became even more intricate.

The Holkham micro mosaic sits in the middle of this timeline. It was purchased in Rome by Thomas William Coke — the great nephew of the builder of the house — on his Grand Tour in 1771–74 from the collection of the Palazzo Mignanelli. It originally came from the theatre at Gubbio, from where it was removed in the early 17th century. The creation of this piece likely dates to that period, but the inspiration is far older: a coarser mosaic of the same subject dating to the 1st century BC was excavated in Pompeii and is now in the Naples Museum.

Lord Leicester stands beside this country house treasure holding an 1817 guidebook describing the mosaic. ‘I don’t like to have favourites at Holkham,' he says, 'but I chose this both on account of its beauty and because its collector went on to become a celebrated agriculturist.'

Visit the Holkham Hall website to find out more.

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This feature originally appeared in the January 7, 2026 issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.