Mid-Century Italian Pietra Dura Plaques in Carved Gilt Frames, Set of Four

$6,200

About

Decorate an office or a study with this elegant and colorful set of antique wall decor. Crafted in Italy circa 1950, each stone plaque is set in a ornate and carve gilt wood frame. Each mosaic panel features hand carved motifs with two love birds sitting on branches. The plaques are in excellent condition with rich colors on black marble slab background. A true one-of-a-kind set! Pietra Dura is essentially stone marquetry. It is a term for using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones to create images. The stonework is glued stone-by-stone to a base after being “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 like a jigsaw puzzle, with everything held in place by an encircling ‘frame’. Many different colored stones, particularly marbles, were used, along with semiprecious, and even precious stones. The technique first appeared in Rome in the 16th century. It reached its peak in Florence. Pietra dura items are generally crafted on green, white or black marble base stones. Typically the resulting panel is completely flat, but some examples have the image is in low relief. Measure: 21.25″W x 13.25″H

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