Richly hued and imaginatively conceived, this Florentine plaque is an extraordinary example of the ancient art of Pietre Dure. The scene is composed entirely of meticulously cut semiprecious stones, which are carefully fit together and set in slate to create the scene. Antic alabaster, lapis lazuli, chalcedony, rosso antico, gialo antico, agate, and jasper all come together to form the perfect trompe l’oeil effect, lending the work a tactile appeal that elevates it above traditional painted works.
The plaque, entitled Architettura (Architecture), is based on a mid-18th-century oil sketch by the great Florentine painter Giuseppe Zocchi and bears all the hallmarks of this master artist’s style. It is one of just four known examples of the composition that were executed in stone. The first and original was specially commissioned by Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, who was a renowned admirer of Florentine art. The commission called for a series of works on the theme of the Arts, intended as a celebration of the region’s cultural prosperity. Zocchi composed four paintings on the theme – Pittura (Painting), Scultura (Sculpture), Musica (Music) and Architettura (Architecture) – which were then executed in semi-precious stones by the artisans at the Galleria dei Lavori. These works still hang today in the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna.
A second version of the Architettura plaque was commissioned almost immediately after the first, though its patron is unknown. It recently sold at a 2013 Sotheby’s auction for an astonishing $1.96 million, a record price for a Florentine panel from the period.
A third example was made for Leopold II, the son of Francis I who reigned as the penultimate Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He had commissioned the entire Arts series from the Galleria dei Lavori to match his father’s collection, and today this set is on display at the Museo dell'Opificio Delle Pietre Dure in Florence.
The present piece is the fourth known version of Zocchi’s Architettura that was executed in semi-precious stones. While all vary slightly in terms of stone size, placement, and color, they all maintain the lyricism and joyfulness of Zocchi’s original design.
The art of Pietre Dure developed from the ancient art of opus sectile, whereby materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to form a decorative pattern. Florentine craftsmen revived the art form during the Renaissance, and the first known hard-stone workshop – the Galleria dei Lavori - was established by the Medici family in 1588.0
In the early 17th century, the directorship of the workshop was entrusted to the Frenchman Louis Siriès, whose decidedly European tastes revolutionized the subjects and style of the Pietre Dure. He hired the young up-and-coming Florentine artist Giuseppe Zocchi to execute his vision, and together they revitalized the art of “painting in stone” in Italy and throughout Europe. Quickly growing in popularity, the art form spread to courts throughout Europe, and most especially in the courts of Naples, Madrid, Prague, and Paris, soon becoming status symbols par excellence among the most powerful men and women of the age.
