Pietre dure, or polychrome hardstone marquetry, refers to the artistic cutting of semi-precious stones. This style resurfaced in Rome in the 16th century during the artistic flowering of the Italian Renaissance. This art form took its inspiration from the cult of antiquity and the evocative power of hardstones such as verde antico from Thessaly, breccia from the island of Skyros, and imperial porphyry. The stones decorated tabletops, were inlaid into delicate floral panels, and shone from ovals of opalescent alabaster. From Rome, pietre dure spread to Florence, where, in 1588, the Medici family founded a prestigious workshop dedicated to producing commessi, or pietre dure mosaics, using materials such as coral, garnet, sapphire, jasper, and lapis lazuli. The art flourished for three centuries owing to the virtuoso skills of the finest craftsmen. Other workshops were founded at the court of Rudolf II in Prague and the court of Louis XIV in France, and later the craft spread to Naples and Madrid under the Bourbon dynasty. In this way, Florentine inlay grew to become an endlessly imaginative artistic language, capable of imbuing works of decorative art with the most astonishing beauty, and creating masterpieces that glow just as brightly today as they did in the time of these royal patrons. This richly illustrated volume captures the beauty and craftsmanship of this technique, illustrating in scores of dazzling photographs outstanding examples of pietre dure, including Roman intaglio, medieval silverware, the Mughal throne room in Delhi, and Frederick II’s pietre dure room at Potsdam.

264 pages, 204 rull-color illustrations. 9 1/2 in. x 13 1/4 in. Hardcover; clothbound, with jacket.

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Pietre Dure: The Art of Semiprecious Stonework
03-018454
Member Price: $76.50 each
Non-Member Price: $85.00 each


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