During the last quarter of the 18th century the materials used for mosaics were dramatically refined. This enabled mosaic makers to execute much smaller works, leading to the emergence of micromosaics. Most of these were bought by tourists visiting Rome and often executed by poorly paid Vatican mosaicists who established their own workshops. The earliest micromosaics had visible joints between the tiny tesserae and were limited in colors.
Nevertheless they were highly sought-after and admired, as proves the inclusion of micromosaics in a cabinet from Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire, Scotland made for William Beckford (1760 -1844). Soon, though, the technique was fine-tuned and advanced so that the tesserae imitated the effect of brushstrokes and simulated textures such as animal hair, foliage, and feathers. By 1810 over twenty highly successful workshops were active in Rome, mostly clustered around the Spanish Steps