Pair of Pietra Dura plates

Italy, Florence, first half of the xviith century
Attributed to the Galleria dei Lavori in Pietra Dura
Hardstone inlays (including lapis lazuli, agate, and jasper), black and yellow marble
Chased and gilt bronze frames

Measurements (with frames)
Height: 20.5 cm – 8 inches
Width: 16.5 cm – 6 1?2 inches

Comparable example

- Pietra Dura panel with fruits and a bird, 17th century, Paris, Louvre Museum (inv. LAB1107).

Similar examples

- Galleria de’ Lavori in Pietre Dure, Pair of Pietra Dura plaques, early 17th century, Florence, Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure.
- Martin Carlin (cabinetmaker), Pietra Dura panels attributed to the Galleria de’ Lavori in Pietre Dure, Centre table adorned with Pietra Dura plaques, circa 1780, Versailles, Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (inv. VMB 13753).
- Suite of ten Florentine Pietra Dura plaques depicting birds, 17th century, private collection.

These two rectangular plaques, crafted using hardstone marquetry — including lapis lazuli, agate, and jasper — alongside polychrome marble inlays, depict a bucolic scene animated by birds in a natural setting.
Each panel portrays a bird of the same species, reminiscent of the blue jay, perched gracefully on a cherry tree branch bearing both leaves and fruit. In one of the panels, a delicately rendered butterfly in flight enriches the composition.
The refinement of the execution lies in the particularly sophisticated selection of stones in varied hues, allowing for a virtuoso rendering of volume, shadow, and texture. Variations of red suggest different stages of cherry ripeness, while the vibrant flashes of lapis lazuli evoke the iridescence of the bird’s plumage.

Bibliography:

- Daniel Alcouffe (ed.), 18e aux sources du design: chefs?d’œuvre du mobilier 1650–1790, exh. cat., Versailles, Domaine de Versailles et de Trianon, 26 Oct. 2014 – 22 Feb. 2015, Dijon: éditions Faton, 2014.
- Stéphane Castelluccio, Les meubles de pierres dures de Louis XIV et l’atelier des Gobelins, Paris: Éditions Faton, 2007.
- Calin Demetrescu, Le style Louis XIV, Paris: Les Éditions de l’Amateur, 2002.
- Calin Demetrescu, Les ébénistes de la Couronne sous le règne de Louis XIV, Lausanne: La Bibliothèque des Arts, 2021.
- Galerie G. Sarti, Fastueux objets en marbre et pierres dures, London: G. Sarti Antiques Ltd., 2006.
- Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle: Dictionnaire des ébénistes et des menuisiers, Paris: Les Éditions de l’Amateur, 2002, p. 109.