SQUARED PIETRA DURA TABLETOP. MARBLE AND HARDSTONES.

Square table top. Marbles 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, thanks to its light tones, the decorative motif in the center. This one, located on a dark background, is made up of vegetable scrolls and flowers organized by lines towards the interior, camouflaged thanks to these stems, so that, despite the abundance of decoration, the four-petalled flower in the center stands out. The “hard stone work” used on 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 that was used in Ancient Rome called "opus sectile" in the Medici era. Such a success was that, very soon, other workshops arose in Europe, among which it is necessary to highlight the Gobelin Factory in France, the Royal Workshop in Naples and the one established by Carlos III in the Royal Site of El Buen Retiro in Madrid, the which closed at the beginning of the 19th century. The present example is heir to this tradition. And there are also stylistic influences. 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... Compare this example with those preserved in the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, with the Roman chess board from between 1565 and 1590 from the National Museum of Decorative Arts in Madrid (inventory CE 27144) or the anonymous Roman chess board from before 1636 (O00470) from the Prado Museum.

· Size: 120x120 cms.