87 results for "pietre dure"

Octagonal Belgian black marble table top profusely decorated with Italian Pietre Dure mosaic inlays using green malachite, dark blue lapis, light b...

The exquisite art of pietre dure is at its absolute finest in this spectacular pair of Russian ormolu and malachite plinths. True works of art of the Restauration period, these plinths each feature a matching pietre dure mosaic crafted of the finest stones, all chosen to create a sense of depth and dimensionality in the final work. Depicting an onyx vase with tulips, roses, daffodils, magnolia and other flowers, these pietre dure panels are among the finest examples of this ancient art we have seen. The pietre dure is complemented by malachite panels of the highest quality, exhibiting exceptional depth through its extraordinary cellular structure. Malachite is one of Russia’s most precious stones, and its presence in these plinths indicates commission and ownership by an individual of considerable status. Mounted in an excellent stepped ormolu base, these plinths originally served as bases for vases or candelabra. The overall execution and appearance of these plinths is very characteristic of the taste associated with the immensely wealthy collector Nicolas Demidoff. As early as 1806, Demidoff had commissioned the Parisian goldsmith Henri August to supply a guéridon; in 1819, he ordered famed French bronzier Pierre-Philippe Thomire to supply mounts for a massive malachite vase (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), as well as a console table with legs in the form of Nike. Other commissions included a table given as a gift to Grand Duke Leopoldo II of Florence, now in the Pitti Palace. Demidoff eventually settled in Florence in 1822 and became Russian minister to the Tuscan Court. Elevated to the rank of Count of San Donato by the Grand Duke, he built a magnificent villa at San Donato on the site of lands formerly owned by the Medici. The villa was later inherited by Anatole, his son, Prince of San Donato, and there are records which confirm transactions he had with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. The 19th century proved to be the golden age of Russian malachite. The stone became a sign of prestige and a token of wealth, so much so that Russian papers of the time wrote: "To afford having a big piece wrought in malachite is synonymous to owning diamonds." Year after year the Russian (Romanov) treasury paid increasingly unreasonable prices to hoard the best malachite, much of which went into Romanov palaces and extravagant objets d'art. The Hermitage Museum possesses a collection of over two hundred examples of this “palatial” malachite...

Round Italian geometric pietre dure technique handmade mosaic table top with different marble and semiprecious stones.  

Octagonal hand-carved marble table with Italian Pietre Dure inlay mosaic, using semiprecious stones including malachite, lapis lazuli and tur...

Round Italian geometric pietre dure technique handmade white marble mosaic table top with blue lapis, red amethyst and other semiprecious stone...

Monumental Pietre Dure Cabinet on Stand by Bernhard Ludwig By Bernhard, Ludwig (Austrian, 1834–1897) Height: 345cm, width: 240cm, depth: 70cm This monumental cabinet on stand, combi...

A Napoleon III Gilt-Bronze and Pietre Dure Mounted Ebonised Side Cabinet. This fine side cabinet has a rectangular Belgian black marble top above a gilt-bronze guilloche and flowe...

Rectangular Crema Marfil marble table top profusely decorated with Italian Pietre Dure mosaic inlays drawing crowns eagles and ornamental decorations usin...

Round Italian Pietre Dure inlay marble tabletop with lapis lazuli border and flower bouquet using colorful and semiprecious stones.  

Large Italian Pietre Dure Plaque of a Monk in a Wine Cellar The rectangular pietre dure plaque is composed as an interior scene set within a wine cellar and housed in a carved giltw...

Handcrafted reproduction of Italian 1700s ornamental design on black Belgian marble tabletop. Vases with flowers, clam shells, fishes and a myriad of elements are confirmed by the cl...

A Fine Italian Carved Giltwood Low Centre Table with A Pietre Dure Marble Top. This impressive giltwood low table has a fine pietre dure inlaid marble top inset within a gadrooned b...

An Italian mid-19th century micromosaic and pietre dure circular tabletop The central micromosaic panel depicting a mother hen and her chicks within a grassy landscape with rocks an...

A fine Louis XVI Style gilt bronze and Pietre Dure mounted ebonised writing table, retailed by Edwards & Roberts. French, circa 1870. The drawer edge stamped 'Edwards & Roberts'. This Fine ebonised writing table has a three-quarter galleried superstructure with cavetto moulding above three cupboards, each with a panel door inset with Fine pietre dure panels of vases issuing flowers. The lower part of the table has a pullout / pull-out writing slide with a dark blue leather writing surface, above a long drawer centred by a tablet mounted with a foliate pietre dure panel. The table is raised on tapering square section legs united by an 'X'-frame stretcher centred by a gilt bronze vase. The beautiful Florentine pietre dure panels are inlaid in high relief with shaded agates marble, and semi-precious stones. The combination of Fine gilt bronze mounts on an ebonised ground enriched with Fine pietre dure inlay indicates the work of one of the best Parisian ébénistes of the period. Edwards & Roberts, was one of the principal London companies working in the nineteenth century in the taste of the late Eighteenth Century. They started business in 1845 and by 1854 were trading as 'Edwards & Roberts, 21 Wardour Street, Antique and Modern Cabinet Makers and Importers of Ancient Furniture'. Wardour Street became an important furniture retailing area in the second half of the 19th century. Contemporary documents note '... a fine and complete library...

Rare and valuable ebony-plated domed case with rich gilt bronze decoration and central jasper medallion. Italian Renaissance manufacture from the early 17th century. The production...

Octagonal Italian pietre dure technique handmade mosaic black marble tabletop with blue lapis lazuli, turquoise and other semiprecious stones inlay.  

1990s grand Mosaic white marble console table signed "Bebo" with the bases. Spectacular long marble table profusely decorated with Pietre Dure inl...

Octagonal Italian Pietre Dure semiprecious hardstone inlay white marble tabletop. Geometric flower patters handcrafted using semiprecious hard-sto...

Square Italian geometric pietre dure technique handmade white marble mosaic table top with blue lapis and other semiprecious stones inlay.  

The Pietre Dure panel inset with lapis lazuli, marmo giallo, in a rectangular shape, probably a panel from a cabinet.

Square Pietre Dure classical marble and Lapis Lazuli Mosaic tabletop.   

19th Mahogany and Palo Santo Table with Pietre Dure top

Octagonal Carrara White marble table top profusely decorated with Italian Pietre Dure mosaic inlays using green malachite, dark blue lapis, light blue turquoise, light green jade, mo...

The art of decorative stone work - known as Pietre Dure, or polychrome hardstone inlay resurfaced in Rome in the sixteenth century with the flowering of the Italian Renaissance. Tabl...

Handcrafted reproduction of an Italian 1700s ornamental design on black Belgian marble table top. Vases with flowers, clam shells, fishes and a myriad of elements are confirmed by th...

Square Italian pietre dure technique handmade classical mosaic tabletop with blue lapis lazuli, green malachite and other semiprecious stone and marble inlays.   

Handcrafted reproduction of Italian 1700s ornamental design on black Belgian marble table top. Vases with flowers, clam shells, fishes and a myriad of elements are confirmed by the c...

Rectangular Italian Pietre Dure technique handmade marble and blue lapislazuli mosaic 6-seat dining tabletop.

Italian specimen marble inlaid top, early 19th century.

Modern take on a classical Italian design with an exuberant use of semiprecious jewelry grade stones: lapis lazuli, malaquite, turquoise and mother of pearl...

A Fabulous Italian Pietre Dure Plaque of an Elderly Couple at Table, Signed and Executed by master “A. Ceccherini” The rectangular pietre dure plaque presents an interior scene dep...

Modern take on a classical Italian design with an exuberant use of semiprecious jewelry grade blue lapis lazuli stone.

A mid-20th Century Italian Pietra Dura marble occasional table. Elegantly made with a range of different geometric cut marble inserts. The table features a beveled edge and petal sha...

Marble tabletop covered in a mosaic of semi-precious hardstones, specially green malachite, as well as yellow travertine, brown Emperador and black Belgian marble. A work of craftsma...

MASSIVE 145CM, 57” LONG, VINTAGE, SPECIMEN MARBLE, TOP UNITED WITH AN IRON BASE IN THE MANNER OF MARCEL COARD Striking conversation piece with 143 marble...

Among the most beautiful examples of hardstone artistry that have ever entered our collection, these important Grand Ducal pietre dure console tables are in a class all their own. Their powerful architectural elegance, impressive size and rarity make them two of the finest hardstone masterpieces ever created and quite possibly the greatest pair of pietre dure tables in existence. With their naturalistically rendered flowers and birds, these tabletop panels showcase the particularly fine quality craftsmanship of the Grand Ducal workshops in Florence during the first quarter of the 17th century. Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici, one of the most important personages in the annals of art history, established the Grand Ducal Workshop in 1588. The workshop specialized in the art of pietre dure developed from the ancient art of opus sectile, giving rise to the most luxurious and detailed examples of hardstone artistry ever produced. Its patrons were the Popes and Royals of Europe, and the quality of the objects produced in the workshop is without equal. Typically, because of the high level of workmanship the art form requires, pietre dure plaques were crafted in small sizes. The great majority of known examples of pietre dure are a fraction of the size of our grand tables. The combination of pietre dure and extensive use of other rare decorative hardstones such as lapis lazuli and pietra paesina or “ruin marble” meant that these tabletops were surely produced for a wealthy collector. The tables are further distinguished by their superbly carved bases by Andrea Brustolon, known as the “Michelangelo of wood.” Brustolon was a Venetian wood sculptor known for his exuberant and intricate Baroque furniture. His high Baroque style was influenced by his years studying in Rome, where he was exposed to the sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Crafted in the early 18th century, these bases display Brusolon’s unmatched talent for both figural and foliate work, combining cupids, masks and oversized scrolling vines for a grand, ornate effect. Similar furnishings by Brustolon are held in museums worldwide, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Museum of Scotland and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while the Ca' Rezzonico Museum in Venice features an entire room dedicated to the sculptor. For approximately 150 years, these tables were part of the famed Stoneleigh Abbey collection owned by the Lord Leigh family. This renowned English country estate inspired Jane Austen to write Mansfield Park. Lord Leigh eventually sold the tables at Christie’s London in 1962, and the pair have stayed in the collection of the same Florentine family who purchased them from Christie's until we recently acquired them. Our tables are prominently pictured in the important Saul Levy book Il Mobile Veneziano del Settencento. The pietre dure plaques date circa 1625-1650. The decorative tops likely would have originally been sold with a pair of plain stone columns to display them, and Lord Leigh would have commissioned the custom bases from Brustolon circa 1714 when he added the impressive four-story fifteen-bay Baroque West Wing to Stoneleigh Abbey. A similar single Grand Ducal tabletop is in the United Kingdom’s National Trust Collection, and a smaller tabletop resides in Buckingham Palace. The flower and bird panels in our examples relate to the famous Badminton Cabinet...

An extravagant Gilt Bronze and Pietra Dura jewellery casket, Circa 1860 in date. The stunning ormolu casket of circular form, inset with hardstone...

Exquisite Italian Pietre Dure chess board side table circa 1950s Mosaic chessboard surface of Nero Portoro and pink marble On a bronze base with three splayed legs Suitable for g...

An outstanding table top in marmo e pietre dure, attributed Giacomo Raffaelli (1753-1836) attr. Roma circa 1790 The tabletop is executed in white statuary marble and displays a highl...

Spectatural 20th Century 59" round Pietra Dura table top inlaid with semi-precious stones. This is a handcrafted reproduction of an Italian 1700s ornamental design on black Belgian m...

This is a wonderful Derbyshire Ashford pietra dura obelisk, inlaid with lillies, circa 1880 in date. The obelisk is beautifully inlaid with a Pietra Dura of white flowers and malach...

This is a superb quality antique Italian Pietra Dura mounted, gilt brass and alabaster table-centre comport dish, dating from the late 19th century. With striking pierced Neo-Gothic chased brass mounts this splendid alabaster dish is set with six highly decorative pietra dura roundels depicting various floral decoration. It is raised on a sturdy circular brass base. It is a sumptuous piece which will make a great statement in any special room. Condition: In really excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 8 x width 29 x depth 29 Dimensions in inches: Height 3.1 x width 11.4 x depth 11.4 Pietra Dura 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. 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 semi-precious 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. However, in recent years there has been a trend to use pietre dure as a term for the same thing, but not for all of the techniques it covers, in Italian. But the title of a 2008 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe used the full Italian sense of the term, probably because they thought that it had greater brand recognition. The material on the website speaks of objects such as a vase in lapis lazuli as being examples of "hardstone carving (pietre dure)" The Victoria & Albert Museum in London uses both versions on its website, but uses pietra dura. "A method of inlaying colored marbles or semi-precious stones into a stone base, often in geometric or flower patterns...." Giovanni Montelatici...

Large table box shaped like a slice of natural agate stone, in gold-plated 925/1000 sterling silver, in a modern contemporary style. With a lost, i.e. semi-invisible hinge. Dimensio...

This large and exquisite Florentine pietra dura table top, attributed to the renowned Gaetano Bianchini, is beautifully presented on a carved giltwood base. Crafted in Italy circa 1870, the rectangular table top is profusely inlaid with rare specimen stones on a dramatic black marble ground. The exquisite commesso di pietre dure work depicts vibrant flowers among foliage, including roses, jasmine, daisies, petunias, and peace lilies, all framed within a conforming floral border with lapis lazuli stringing. The table is elevated by a carved giltwood base featuring double-column end supports that terminate in scrolled feet, elegantly joined by a stretcher centered with a seated putto. This remarkable piece survives in excellent antique condition, retaining the vibrant coloration of the specimen stones and the rich patina of the giltwood. A comparable Florentine pietra dura table top attributed to Gaetano Bianchini, mounted on a different base, was notably sold from the Freddie Mercury collection at Sotheby's London on September 6, 2023, lot 2, achieving a price of 114,300 British pounds. The art of inlaid marbles and hardstones, known as commesso di pietre dure, flourished in Florence under the patronage of the grand-ducal workshops, established in 1588, where the craft achieved unparalleled heights. By the early nineteenth century, however, production and innovation in this exquisite tradition had waned. It was through the efforts of enterprising private artists, such as Gaetano Bianchini, that this art form was revitalized and given a new lease of life. Trained at the prestigious Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Bianchini reimagined the possibilities of this technique. By incorporating softer stones and alternative materials, he expanded the chromatic range and artistic potential of pietre dure, while reducing production time. This innovation enabled him to establish a successful private workshop around 1825, making the art more commercially viable. By 1840, the fame of the Laboratorio Bianchini had spread widely, even attracting a visit from Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, who offered Bianchini the directorship of the Imperial Lapidary Works at Peterhof. Bianchini declined, instead proposing to train Russian...

Octagonal table box in semi-precious tiger's eye stone with a hinged 925/1000 sterling silver hull. The interior of the lid is in black Belgian marble. Dimensions: 11.4 x 18.4 x 4 c...

Italian Green & Plum Specimen Marble Box with Alabaster Interior, Florence, Mid-20th Century 4.75" W x 3.25" D x 1.25" H This elegant Italian decorative box is crafted in richly fig...

A fine large Italian baroque revival carved walnut pedestal table base with a "Pietra Dura" (Pietre Dure) the inlaid marble figures of flowers and birds. The base is 19th century, the Pietra Dura top is 20th century. This beautiful and rare table may be used as a centre table, a writing table, a console or a wine cellar table...

Four-leaf clover-shaped table box in gold-plated 925/1000 sterling silver with petals in lapis lazuli and red jasper. Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 2 cm. Silver weight: 175 g. Designed by ...

Elegant Six-Panel Japanese Screen, 1920s Fascinating 1920s screen with details of fine Japanese workmanship. The screen, composed of six lacquered panels, rests on bracket feet with...

A Very fine Franco-Italian 19th century neoclassical Revival style gilt-bronze and Pietra Dura (or Pietra-Dure) occasional side-table Gueridon. The circular gilt-bronze frame raised ...

A Fine Italian 19th Century Florentine Pietra Dura Inlaid Table Raised on a Giltwood Carved Pedestal Stand. The circular pietra dura inlaid top centered with a bouquet of flowers inc...

Round tabletop in marbles and hard stones. "Pompanos and grapes". Inspired by Italian models of the 16th-17th century. Circular tabletop with a pattern of grape leaves and black and...

Grand Ducal workshops, 19th century Coffee table with top made of committed marbles Top, diam. 65X2 cm Table, 82.5 x 72 cm This refined circular coffee table, the product of the cra...

This is a superb decorative antique Italian Grand Tour marble Pietra Dura mounted desk paperweight, circa 1880 in date. This splendid rectangular paperweight is exquisitely inlaid with a sumptuous arrangement of semi-precious stones including malachite, agate, onyx and amethyst. It is beautifully inlaid on a slate base. Not only is this desk paperweight very functional, but it is also an exquisite mineralogical wonder that can be admired by all discerning collectors. Condition: In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation, Dimensions in cm: Height 2 x Width 17 x Depth 10 Dimensions in inches: Height 1 inch x width 7 inches x depth 4 inches. Pietra dura is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished coloured stones to create images. It is considered a decorative art. 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 semi-precious 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. However, in recent years there has been a trend to use pietre dure as a term for the same thing, but not for all of the techniques it covers, in Italian. But the title of a 2008 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe used the full Italian sense of the term, probably because they thought that it had greater brand recognition. The material on the website speaks of objects such as a vase in lapis lazuli as being examples of "hardstone carving (pietre dure)" The Victoria & Albert Museum in London uses both versions on its website, but uses pietra dura. "A method of inlaying coloured marbles or semi-precious stones into a stone base, often in geometric or flower patterns...." Giovanni Montelatici...

Table ashtray in the shape of a four-leaf clover with structure in 925/1000 sterling Silver gold plated and external and internal lining in real malachite stone. Dimensions cm. 12 x ...

A Lovely C19th Marble Specimen Top Table standing on a Quatrafoil Base. Stunning Pietre dure Top The Top lobed edge with radiating Specimen Marbles.

This exquisite Regency-period rosewood table is distinguished by its remarkable specimen top. An exceptional relic of natural history, the tabletop, created circa 1840, bears nearly ...

A Highly Important, Early, and Quite Rare 17th Century Italian Pietra Dura Hardstone Inlaid Box, Most Probably from the Grand Ducal Workshop. This rectangular Italian casket is con...

Late 18th Century Triumph of Galatea Ivory, mother-of-pearl and metal foil inlay on slate, diam. 16 cm With ebonized wood frame, 27 x 26.5 x 3 cm Accompanied by CITES certificate...

A Large and Quite Rare Italian Pietra Dura Multi-Marble Table-Top/coffee table/low table/center table. The square top is richly inlaid with an extensive array of colored marbles and ...