Pietre Dure Plaque by Giovanni Montelatici

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About the Item

Giovanni Montelatici 1864-1930 Italian Boys Playing with a Lizard Pietre dure Signed and dated "G. Montelatici / 1912" (lower right) Composed by renowned Italian artist Giovanni Montelatici, this Florentine work of art depicts a humorous scene of four young boys admiring a lizard captured in a small glass jar. While it has the appearance of a painting, the work is actually entirely composed of polished marble in place of paint. Each piece was carefully chosen for both its color and pattern to perfectly convey the mood and details of the scene, from the faux woodgrain on the shutters and stool to the contrasting light and shadow along the walls and table. Together, these luxurious marble pieces create a work of such cohesion as to have the perfect trompe l'oeil effect, capturing the simple joys of boyhood. Few could afford such precious pictures crafted in stone, so pietre dure artists created pieces such as this on a commission basis for only the most important clients. The most desirable works from this period display remarkable realism and intricacy in their execution, with a preference for rural subjects and natural landscapes. It was these kinds of works in which the Montelatici workshop specialized, making the artist highly sought-after in his day. Giovanni Montelatici, a well-known Florentine artist of the early 20th century, is remembered fondly for reviving interest in the lost art of painting in pietre dure. While the technique was highly popular in Renaissance and Baroque-era Italian workshops, it had fallen out of favor in the 19th century. When Montelatici opened a workshop in 1898 with fellow Mugello-based artist Galileo Chini, the pair quickly rose to high acclaim for their skill in the art form. They won the gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle for a monumental table exquisitely inlaid with an image of the biblical Annunciation. Over the next decades, the Montelatici workshop flourished, and Giovanni was soon joined by his two sons Mario and Alfonso in the business. Giovanni would continue to garner recognition from Italian and foreign collectors alike for his particular virtuosic skill in rendering scenes of rural and domestic life, including Boys Playing with a Lizard. A very similar plaque by Fernando Chisio, a notable pupil of Giovanni Montelatici, is pictured in A. M. Massinelli, The Gilbert Collection - Hardstones, London, 2000, page 178. Dated 1912 Plaque: 30" high x 19 7/8" wide Frame: 32 1/4" high x 23 5/8" wide x 2" deep

Creator:
Giovanni Montelatici (1864 - 1930)
Creation Year:
1912
Dimensions:
Height: 32.25 in (81.92 cm)Width: 23.63 in (60.03 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
Medium:
Stone
Period:
20th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 31-67211stDibs: LU18611900432

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