By Betty Gordon
© 2022 text and photos. All rights reserved.
This is the fourth in a series about my March trip to Venice, Florence and Milan, Italy. See my April 9 post for an overview of traveling internationally during covid-19; my April 25 post about visiting Murano, Italy’s glassblowing center; and my June 5 post about a towering, da Vinci-inspired horse sculpture in Milan.
While young sculptor-painter Michelangelo was busy coaxing a human figure to emerge from yet another monumental block of white Carrara marble, other Renaissance artists were perfecting working with stone on a more delicate scale.
Their finished compositions may have looked like paintings, but they were often far more intricate and fragile than oil on canvas or wood. One slip of a sharp tool could spell ruin for both the valuable semiprecious stones and the overall effect the artisans were trying to achieve.
Technically speaking, this discipline is known as stone intarsia, similar to marquetry, in that cut-to-size pieces are inlaid into an overall design. It’s also related to mosaic art in that components are fit together like a jigsaw puzzle to form a complete image.
Renaissance craftsmen used semiprecious stones, pietre dure in Italian, brought to Tuscany from around the world, including vivid blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, rippled green malachite from Madagascar, Sicilian jasper, purple amethyst, black onyx, milky white chalcedony, shimmering mother-of-pearl, jade and banded agate, among other materials, to complete their projects.
In fact, modern pietre dure artists utilize many of the same stones.
Over the centuries, the technique has been featured as framed wall art, with floral arrangements, landscapes and brilliantly hued animals such as parrots being popular subjects. Plain tabletops transform from functional to fantastic with the addition of scrolling foliage and geometric shapes, whether inlaid parallel to the border or covering the entire surface.
Jewelry boxes, small tables, floors of entire rooms, cabinet panels: Possibilities abound.
Wearable? You bet — think dazzling jewelry, just a lot smaller.
In the case of the powerful dynastic Medicis, banking-rich patrons of Michelangelo and many other now well-known artists, a variety of themes and motifs fill the cavernous interior of their family tomb, the Cappella dei Principi (Chapel of the Princes), at the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence.
Centuries after their deaths, the decoration was still being completed, as in the inlaid floor wasn’t finished until 1962.
Around the perimeter of the octagonal room is a series of 16 pietre dure shields, a tribute to the city-states that fell under Medici rule. For example, Florence is represented by a fleur-de-lis; Pisa by a stylized cross. Jasper, quartz, alabaster, coral, lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl figure prominently.
The floor, all the walls, the altar — I don’t think there is a surface in the chapel that isn’t covered by some manner of stone or glass.
In the 1500s, Cosimo I (1519-1574) invited the first pietre dure workers to Florence. The pietre dure technique was popular in ancient Greece and Rome, and Cosimo’s interest in it helped revive it.
In 1588, his son Ferdinando I (1549-1609), the Grand Duke of Tuscany, set up a permanent workshop in Florence, which also included specialty artisans such as goldsmiths, jewelers and engravers.
Ferdinando is also credited with getting the work started on the Chapel of the Princes.
Decades ago, on my first visit to Florence, a tabletop at the Uffizi Gallery — originally office space for the Medici family — made an impression, long before I knew the term pietre dure. I marveled at the intricate design and the precision of the craftsmanship.
On my more recent visit, I searched again for this table but didn’t find it. Though I thought I visited all of the rooms, it is possible I missed some, or that that gallery wasn’t open. I looked it up online when I got home.
In the Terrace Map Room, I did find a nautical scene that started life as a tabletop: “View of the Port of Livorno” by Cristofano Gaffurri, based on a drawing by Jacopo Ligozzi. Protected behind a piece of glass, the scene is dominated by waves made from lapis lazuli, and includes shipyards chiseled from green Corsican marble and a variety of jasper to render the hills and coastline.
Pre-trip research also revealed that an entire museum, just a block from the Uffizi, is devoted to pietre dure works. I went there after my Uffizi visit, but unfortunately, it was closed. (As I’ve mentioned previously, some museums, hotels and restaurants took advantage of sparse crowds because of covid-19 restrictions to undertake often unannounced renovations and updates.)
So, the next best thing was to visit a shop, Pitti Mosaici, that specializes in pietre dure compositions, done according to Renaissance standards. I had hoped to visit the laboratory (as they call it) and observe their technique, but the lab was not open the day I was there. (You can book a visit online.)
Some videos on its website give an idea of the process. It begins with an outline of an object, in this case a flower and stem, traced or drawn on a piece of paper. Numbers were assigned to the petals.
One small paper petal template was cut out, and the artist searched through stone samples for the color he had in mind for that section. That stone was then mounted in a secure frame, so that the artist could saw around the attached template to produce a finished petal.
The steps are repeated for all pieces and then assembled to check for proper fit. Next, the stones are glued in place in a base — a larger piece of stone, often marble — that must have matching compartments. When completed, the “picture” is buffed and polished to a high shine.
If done properly, the “picture” is level and smooth, with no jagged edges.
At Pitti Mosaici, founded in 1982 by fourth-generation artisans, I spent about 90 minutes studying the tabletops, collectibles and “paintings” in a variety of sizes.
I also had a long chat with saleswoman Eleonora, who told me that the one-of-a kind compositions were the most expensive, running into thousands of dollars, especially if they were large. Smaller pieces were more affordable, specifically if the topic wasn’t unique, such as a landscape featuring Florence’s skyline.
And if you succumb to the lure of purchasing a “painting in stone,” Pitti Mosaici will ship it to your home.
Quick reference: Pitti Mosaici, directly across the street from the Pitti Palace, Pitti Square 23-24 red, Florence; http://www.pittimosaici.com
Museo dell Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Museum of Precious Stones), via degli Alfani, 78 red, Florence; http://www.opificio.arti.beniculturali.it (I was unsuccessful in getting this link to open.)
Uffizi Gallery: For a look at the pietre dure table and floor: https://www.uffizi.it/en. In the search bar, type in “the tribune.”
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