SQUARED PIETRA DURA TABLETOP. MARBLE AND HARDSTONES.

Square table top. Marble and hard stones. Inspired by Italian models from the 16th-17th centuries. A frame of simple geometric elements and white oval shields accompanied by architectural details highlights the decorative motif in the centre thanks to its light tones. This motif, set against a dark background, is made up of plant and flower scrolls organised in lines towards the interior, camouflaged by these stems, so that, despite the abundance of decoration, the four-petaled flower in the centre stands out. The “hard stone work” used in this table is very similar to marquetry, but uses marbles and stones with a hardness greater than 6 on the Mohs scale. The idea arose in Florence, when trying to revitalize a type of mosaic used in Ancient Rome called “opus sectile” in the time of the Medici. It was so successful that other workshops soon sprang up in Europe, including the Gobelins Factory in France, the Royal Workshop of Naples and the one established by Charles III in the Royal Site of El Buen Retiro in Madrid, which closed at the beginning of the 19th century. The present example is heir to this tradition. Stylistic influences can also be seen. Although at the beginning there was a great variety of decorative elements in these stone inlays, from around 1600 naturalistic motifs gained prominence, which became more varied over time by including butterflies, birds, fruits, etc. Compare this example with those preserved in the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, with the Roman chessboard from between 1565 and 1590 in the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas in Madrid (inventory CE 27144) or the anonymous Roman chessboard from before 1636 (O00470) in the Museo del Prado.

· Size: 120x120 cms.