17th Century Furniture (part 8 of 31)

Pietra Dura & Scagliola

Florentine handmade furniture - table tops and cabinet panels inlaid with richly coloured, semi-precious stones were highly coveted by wealthy patrons during the 17th century.

Pietra Dura (hard stone) involves making a mosaic of hard or semi-precious stones. The manufacture of Pietra Dura was just one of the trades that supplied furniture makers from the Renaissance. Scagliola created a similar effect at much less of a cost.

Originating in Italy, the full name - Commesso  di pietra dura - describes stones that are fitted together so closely that the joins are invisible. The mosaic is glued to a slate base for stability. The elaborate process of creating pictures from stone has remained the same for centuries.

Pietra dura was used for table tops and provided a good contrast with the gilt console bases that were typical of the time. The rich colours and floral or naturalistic pictures not only displayed the expensive materials - the dedicated craftsmanship required to complete such work was admired and coveted by royal and aristocratic patrons.

Teamwork

The very finest workshops produced pietra dura in teams. An artist or sculptor would prepare the design, then other craftsmen chose the stones and after polishing them would cut them into fine slices.

Tracings of the design were used to cut the stones into the right shapes and these were then, very carefully, glued and pieced together in position on a base. If the design was particularly delicate, it would be lined with slate. Finally the stones would be polished with abrasive powders.

The Grand Ducal Workshops

These Florentine workshops, situated in the galleries of the Uffizi Palace, were pre-eminent in developing pietra dura furnishings. Other workshops sometimes poached Florentine artisans so that they could teach their skills elsewhere.

In 1588, Ferdinand I de'Medici made them the Court workshop, making fitted and non fitted furniture as well as mosaics.

The works were commissioned for the Grand Duke's residences as well as for important European families. Products ranged from cabinets and table tops to boxes and architectural features. 

Henry IV and Louis XIII of France established their own royal workshops under the Louvre Palace in Paris.