Pietra Dura Colect

Pietra dura or pietre dure is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished
colored stones to create images. It is considered a decorative art. The stonework, after the work is
assembled loosely, is glued stone-by-stone to a substrate after having previously been "sliced and
cut in different shape sections; and then assembled together so precisely that the contact between
each section was practically invisible".[1] Stability was achieved by grooving the undersides of the
stones so that they interlocked, rather like a jigsaw puzzle, with everything held tautly in place by an
encircling 'frame'. Many different colored stones, particularly marbles, were used, along
with semiprecious, and even precious stones. It first appeared in Rome in the 16th century, reaching
its full maturity in Florence. Pietra dura items are generally crafted on green, white or black marble
base stones. Typically the resulting panel is completely flat, but some examples where the image is
in low relief were made, taking the work more into the area of hardstone carving.
Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning "hard rocks" or hardstones; the singular pietra dura is also
encountered in Italian. In Italian, but not in English, the term embraces all gem
engraving and hardstone carving, which is the artistic carving of three-dimensional objects in semiprecious stone, normally from a single piece, for example in Chinese jade. The traditional convention
in English has been to use the singular pietra dura just to denote multi-colored inlay work.
Pietre dure (from the Italian 'hard stone') is made from finely sliced coloured stones, precisely
matched, to create a pictorial scene or regular design". [6] The English term "Florentine mosaic" is
sometimes also encountered, probably developed by the tourist industry. Giovanni Montelatici (18641930) was an Italian Florentine artist whose brilliant work has been distributed across the world by
tourists and collectors.
It is distinct from mosaic in that the component stones are mostly much larger and cut to a shape
suiting their place in the image, not all of roughly equal size and shape as in mosaic. In pietra dura,
the stones are not cemented together with grout, and works in pietra dura are often portable. Nor
should it be confused with micromosaics, a form of mosaic using very small tesserae of the same
size to create images rather than decorative patterns, for Byzantine icons, and later for panels for
setting into furniture and the like.
Pietra dura developed from the Ancient Roman opus sectile, which at least in terms of surviving
examples, was architectural, used on floors and walls, with both geometric and figurative designs. In
the Middle Ages cosmatesque floors and small columns etc. on tombs and altars continued to use
inlays of different colours in geometric patterns. Byzantine art continued with inlaid floors, but also
produced some small religious figures in hardstone inlays, for example in the Pala d'Oro in San
Marco, Venice (though this mainly uses enamel). In theItalian Renaissance this technique again was
used for images. The Florentines, who most fully developed the form, however, regarded it as
'painting in stone'. It is stated that Domenico Ghirlandaio "dubbed the medium 'Pittura per l'eternit'
-- that is, painting for eternity".[8]
As it developed in Florence, the technique was initially called opere di commessi (approximately,
"Fitted together works"). MediciGrand Duke Ferdinando I of Tuscany founded the Galleria di'Lavori in
1588,[3] now the Opificio delle pietre dure, for the purpose of developing this and other decorative
forms.
A multitude of varied objects were created. Table tops were particularly prized, and these tend to be
the largest specimens. Smaller items in the form of medallions, cameos, wall plaques, panels
inserted into doors or onto cabinets, bowls, jardinieres, garden ornaments, fountains, benches, etc.
are all found. A popular form was to copy an existing painting, often of a human figure, as illustrated
by the image of Pope Clement VIII, above. Examples are found in many museums. The medium was
transported to other European centers of court art and remained popular into the 19th century. In
particular, Naples became a noted center of the craft. By the 20th century, the medium was in
decline, in part by the assault of modernism, and the craft had been reduced to mainly restoration
work. In recent decades, however, the form has been revived, and receives state-funded
sponsorship. Modern examples range from tourist-oriented kitsch including syrupy reproductions of
19th century style religious subjects (especially in Florence and Naples), to works copying or based
on older designs used for luxurious decorative contexts, to works in a genuinely contemporary
artistic idiom.
literally, "hard stone" in Italian, a technique in which thin polished slices of hard or semi-precious
stone - typically chalcedony, lapis lazuli and agate - are cut and arranged to form a mosaic
image, often of flowers or fruit; developed by artisans in 16th century Florence, it's most often
associated with Italian pieces, though also practiced in Russia and other European nations;
used on furniture such as tabletops, but also on clocks and other decorative accessories as well
as in jewelry
Pietra Dura is a highly specialised art form, created with precision, care and artistry;
by inlaying highly polished precious and semi-precious stones into marble to create
an image a painting in stone.The decorative art of pietra dura (literally meaning
hard stones from the Italian pietre dure) dates back to the Ancient Roman
architectural work for floors and walls of opus sectile. This art form is known in
Italian as Commesso di Pietre Dure, sometimes abbreviated to commesso and also
known as Mosaico Fiorentino. During the second half of the 16th century
Renaissance pietra dura work centred on Florence and the Galleria diLavori was
granted a charter in 1588 by Grand Duke Ferdinando I deMedici. Local craftsmen
were trained to restore ancient stone carved artefacts and to create images in
pietra dura. During the 17th century the great private and ecclesiastical patrons of
the arts, commissioned the artists to create some of the finest luxury objects to be
produced at the time. By the 18th century pietra dura had become increasingly
popular and the Florentine artists travelled across Europe to work in royal and noble
households. In the mid 1800s the Galleria diLavori was renamed the Opificio delle
pietre dure. There were also many privately owned Florentine workshops producing
pieces of pietra dura for the growing market.

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Pietra dura or pietre dure is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished

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