Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe"In the royal and princely courts of Europe, artworks made of multicolored semiprecious stones were passionately coveted objects. Known as pietre dure, or hardstones, this type of artistic expression includes?paintings in stone,? which were composed of intricately cut separate pieces that were made into magnificent tabetops, cabinets, and wall decorations. Other works included vessels and ornaments carved with virtuosic skill from a single piece of rare and brilliant lapis lazuli, chalcedony, jasper, or similarly prized substance; exquisite objects such as boxes, clocks, and jewelry; and portraits of nobles sculpted in variously colored stones. Derived from ancient Roman decorative stonework, the art of pietre dure was developed in Renaissance Florence, where the manufacture of such objects was enthusiastically sponsored by Medici princes. Ideally suited for ostentatious display, the works sent an unmistakable message of wealth and political might that was understood in centers of power everywhere. From Italy the medium spread across Europeto Prague, Madrid, Naples, Paris, and later Saint Petersburg. Precious and fragile, pietre dure objects are rarely brought together in large numbers. This richly illustrated catalogue contains more than 150 masterworks from across Europe, dating from five centuries, including almost every artistic use of semiprecious stone during this time as well as some of the finest examples of the medium. Eight essays by European and American experts discuss the individualized development of pietre dure in every European region, the latest developments in scholarship, the interrelationships between art and dynastic politics and between cultures, and a variety of techniques used to produce these luxurious masterworks."--Metropolitan Museum of Art website. |
Contents
The New Art of Pietre Dure | 13 |
Prague Florence Milan | 58 |
cat nos | 104 |
Copyright | |
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agate altar ancient artisans artistic Augsburg cabinet cameo carved Castrucci chalcedony colored commesso Cosimo court craftsmen decorative dell'Opificio delle Pietre depicting Distelberger 2002 Dresden ebony emperor enamel example executed Ferdinand Florence Florentine Florentine mosaics Foggini frame France Francesco French furniture Galleria dei Lavori gift gilded silver Giovanni Battista Giovanni Battista Foggini Giuseppe Giusti in Giusti Gobelins gold González-Palacios Grand Duke grand-ducal workshops Grünes Gewölbe Hainhofer hardstone hardstone mosaic Ibid imperial inlaid inventory jasper Kappel Koeppe Kunsthistorisches Museum Kunstkammer landscape lapidary lapis lazuli Louvre marble marquetry Medici Metropolitan Museum Miseroni mosaic panels motifs Museo degli Argenti Museo dell'Opificio objects Opificio delle Pietre Ottavio painting Palazzo degli Uffizi Palazzo Pitti Pampaloni Martelli 1978 Paris pieces pietre dure plaques porphyry Prague precious PROVENANCE Przyborowski REFERENCES relief rock crystal Roman Rome Rudolf Saint Petersburg sculpture semiprecious stones Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden style tabletop tion Uffizi vases Vienna Zocchi