Antique Grand Tour Pietra Dura Paperweight, Lily Of The Valley -c 1900

Antiques : Pietra Dura : Grand Tour : Paperweight : Pietra Dure : Presse Papier : Flower : Vine : Leaves : Pietra Dura : Grand Tour : Paperweight : Lily Of The Valley : Pietra Dure : Presse Papier

 

This delicate depiction of a Lily Of The Valley really appealed to me. it is quite charming and very attractive; really, quite a lovely piece. All of the stones used for the leaves and flowers are intact, but there are a number of flea bites on the edges of the marble. The marble appears to be a bit dull in places, but perhaps it could be polished. All told, I would call the actual depiction in Very Good Condition, and the background (marble) in Fair Condition. (Pictures are part of the description.) The marble is not smooth on the back; rather, it is partially hollowed out in part, but still with plenty of marble under the depiction on the top. This measures approximately 5 inches by 3 and 1/2 inches by 1 inch. Pietre dure (or Parchin kari, in south Asia) is an art-historical term for the technique of using small, exquisitely cut and fitted, highly-polished colored stones to create what amounts to a painting in stone. It is considered a decorative art. The stonework, after the work is assembled loosely, is glued stone-by-stone to a substrate after having previously been "sliced and cut in different shape sections; and then assembled together so precisely that the contact between each section was practically invisible" Stability was achieved by grooving the undersides of the stones so that they interlocked, rather much like a jigsaw puzzle, with everything held tautly in place by an encircling 'frame'. Many different colored stones, particularly marbles, were used, along with semiprecious, and even precious stones. It first appears in Rome in the 1500s but reaches its full maturity in Florence. Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning hard rocks, or perhaps better durable stone and this is the preferred term; the singular pietre dura is also encountered. The English term "Florentine mosaic" is sometimes also encountered, as is "micromosaic", but these are disparaged, often as terms developed by the tourist industry.

Item ID: A4254