A Rare Italian Giltwood Framed Pietre Dure By Mario Montelatici '2 Little Tykes'

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A Rare Italian Giltwood Framed Pietre Dure By Mario Montelatici '2 Little Tykes'

About the Item

A Highly Important and Rare Italian Giltwood Framed Pietre Dure Signed By Mario Montelatici Called 'Two Little Tykes'. This incredible Italian Florentine artistic masterpiece appears to be a painting, however, upon close observation, the piece is uncovered as an incredible example of pietre dure, or inlaid with 2,763 pieces of semi precious stones. The scene depicts 'Two Little Tykes' which include an adolescent boy in a hat and a small dog. The boy is seen in tattered clothes wearing a hat, while the dog is standing beside him as his faithful companion. They are in a charming town with brick and stone buildings and stone-lined streets. Hand-written on the back of the frame, most probably by Mario himself, is the amount of individual stones that were used to produce this magnificent piece, which is 2,763 two thousand seven hundred sixty three pieces. A similar pietre dure was featured in the V & A Museum, which was on loan from the Gilbert Collection, one of the greatest collections of pietre dure pieces to have ever been culminated in private hands. Signed in the lower left corner, "M Montelatici". Florence, Italy, Circa: 1925 Since the sixteenth century, Florence, Italy has been the birthplace of pictures or paintings in stone known as Pietre Dure or 'hard stones'. The first pietre dure mosaics were commissioned by Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici in the later part of the fifteen-hundred's. After his death, his brother and successor, Grand Duke Ferdinand I de’ Medici, officiated the art of pietre dure by creating court workshops in 1588. This translated to the creation of a multitude of private workshops and a large number of craftsmen which were later trained at the Ducal workshops. The Montelatici's were a multi-generational family whos' roots in the pietre dure artistic craft began as early as the eighteen hundreds. Giovanni Montelatici (d. 1930) was the founder of the Montelaticic pietre dure firm. His claim to fame began when he and his business partner, Galileo Chini, exhibited at the nineteen-hundreds Exposition Universelle, and won gold for their pietre dure inlaid table, representing the scene from painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation, in the 15th century. After their success, they established a workshop known as Arte Musiva, where Giovanni and his two sons, Mario and Alfonso, were producing the most spectacular pietre dure's since the sixteenth century. Works Cited: Museum, Victoria and Albert. “Two Little Tykes: Montelatici, Mario: V&A Explore the Collections.” Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections. Massinelli, Anna Maria, and Iacopo Lastrucci. Painting in Stone: Modern Florentine Pietra Dura Mosaic. Aska, 2015. Avery, Charles, assisted by Arthur Emperatori. Mosaics from the Gilbert Collection: summary catalogue. Exhibition catalogue Victoria & Albert Museum. London: H.M.S.O. 1975, cat. no. 19. Gonzalez-Palacios, Alvar. The Art of Mosaics: Selections from the Gilbert Collection, Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1977. 143 p., ill. Cat. no. 99. ISBN 0875870805. Casey, Rick. 'The Miraculous Mosaics'. SA. San Antonio Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 12, February 1978, p. 31. Gonzalez-Palacios, Alvar and Steffi Röttgen with essays by Steffi Röttgen, Claudia Przyborowski; essays and new catalogue material translated by Alla Theodora Hall. The Art of Mosaics: Selections from the Gilbert Collection. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1982. 224 p., ill. Cat. no. 116. ISBN 0875871097 Massinelli, Anna Maria with contributions by Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel. Hardstones: The Gilbert Collection. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd. in association with The Gilbert Collection, 2000. 329 p., ill. Cat. no. 77, p. 177. ISBN 0856675105.

Creator:
Giovani Montelatici (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)Depth: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)
Style:
Other (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Agate,Alabaster,Amethyst,Breccia Marble,Carrara Marble,Giltwood,Lapis Lazuli,Marble,Precious Stone,Gilt,Hand-Carved,Polished
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
1920-1929
Date of Manufacture:
1925
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU919530349612