Nicely made puzzle, cut from thick card of a pleasing feel and with a very positive connection between adjoining pieces. Corners of the four corner pieces nicely rounded, a nice touch I do not recall coming across before. A very regular puzzle in that all the pieces were very much of a size and four pieces met, pretty much exactly, at every interior vertex. On the other hand, being foreign, there were comparatively few pieces having the normal prong configuration of prong-hole-prong-hole, which one would expect to dominate a British made puzzle. This, together with the good colour variation and the visible grain of both pavement and sky made the solution of this larger than usual puzzle easier than it might otherwise have been.
I had pondered about the dimensions of this 1,000 piece puzzle, with factors of 2, 2, 2, 5, 5 & 5 and thinking that perhaps 25 by 40 was the best that one could do, rather neglecting the possibility that there might not be exactly 1,000 pieces. As it turned out there were 999 pieces with factors of 3, 3, 3 & 37 and the answer was 27 by 37, a slightly fatter picture than my original solution would have yielded.
The maker, as can be seen from the illustration is the Italian games manufacturer Clementoni who run the elaborate and slightly tricky web site at http://www.clementoni.com/ from which I learn that this particular jigsaw is not in their catalogue. Perhaps it got to 'The Works' as as remainder, like the two books mentioned previously (on 26th December). As it happens, I have now remembered that this is the second Clementoni puzzle that I have acquired, the first being David's painting of the coronation of Napoleon. A puzzle which I am quite sure that I have completed at least once (not the trestle table, so where?) and which I think was probably a Christmas present (from whom?), perhaps 10 years ago. Interestingly, this puzzle is still in the Clementoni catalogue. While Amazon offer a rather splendid 6,000 piece Clementoni puzzle for £40. Maybe next year? Or maybe the 13,200 piecer of the 'Last Supper'. What would be the profile of the average buyer of this one?
The picture was fascinating, and much more so puzzle size than box size. Maybe the real thing, which I find to be a fresco by Perugino on the wall of the Sistine Chapel, would be even more so? Masters of the mouse should have no trouble finding it at http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/. I started the puzzle of the picture with the dome, the yellow pieces of which were easy to pick out (except those at the far right), then moved out and down, completing most of the three buildings. Then the landscape, then the rather odd figures in the middle of the picture - figures which I only learn after the event represent two scenes from the life of our Lord. I had thought they were simply young Italians striking poses, as they do. Then down to the heads, then knocked off the large figures one by one, a proceeding made relatively easy by the strong colour coding already mentioned. Lastly the two ponds of sky, made easy by their small size and narrow shape, which last meant that every piece could be fitted somewhere. No dark interior to work into.
I was impressed by the quality of the robes that the Apostles could run to by the time of handing over the all-important key to St. Peter. Presumably they had roped in some rich widows by that time to help with making teas, cutting cakes and funding generally.
I was also impressed to find that Raphael was a pupil of Perugino, making this last a genuine & original Pre-Raphaelite. Most appropriate as we were slated to pay a second visit to them on New Year's Eve.
PS: to quote from somewhere turned up by Mr. Google: "Clementoni has successfully pioneered the perfect relationship between art and jigsaw puzzles for many years. This is why we have decided today to premiere a project of considerable importance and prestige to emphasize once again its leading role in the world of jigsaw puzzles: a superb art range including the most beautiful and most famous works of art on show in the world's leading Museums. Each jigsaw puzzle comes in an elegant box in terms of size, color and gilt printing methods, together with remarks about each painter and each work. From the Louvre to the Centre Pompidou, from Leonardo to Picasso, the Museum Collection range transforms ageless art into exclusive jigsaw puzzles."
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