Vaso di fiori in hardstone and mother-of-pearl, inlaid, Florence, 17th cent

Inlaid hardstone and mother-of-pearl vase of flowers.
Black marble, mother-of-pearl, jade, chalcedony, agate, jasper, wood.
Florence.
17th century.
h. 10,2 in ; l. 7,9 in.

Marquetry plaque made of hard stones and marbles on a black marble base, depicting a bouquet of five flowers bursting from a vase inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

The motif of the flower vase in hard (and soft) stones is typical of the mosaic workshops and pietre dure in early 17th century Florence. The early productions from the Florence workshops, characterised by simple and geometric compositions, were succeeded by more naturalistic subjects by the end of the 16th century. This piece appears to be a later work, closer to the Grand Ducal production of the last quarter of the 17th century, a variation, not a copy, of the central panel of two very important cabinets, likely pendants of one another, dated to the third quarter of the 17th century, held respectively at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and at LACMA (on loan from the Victoria & Albert Museum).

Most of the pieces from the Victoria & Albert Museum cabinet, one of the most famous pietre dure cabinets in the world, are reported to be mainly English and from the 19th century. Two of the oldest models of vasi di fiori, originating from the Medici villa of Poggio Imperiale and now displayed at the Museo de l’Opificio delle Pietre Dure, the museum of the former Grand Ducal workshop, are also detached from their original setting.

Our plaque, distinct from others due to the mother-of-pearl formella of the vase, alongside more common pieces made of jade, chalcedony, agate, and jasper, has been framed in a custom-made frame from the 18th or 19th century.

Sources

Alvar Gonzalez-Palacios et Steffi Röttgen, The Art of Mosaics. Selections from the Gilbert Collection, Los Angeles, 1982.