This extraordinary Florentine work of art has the appearance of a painted scene, but upon closer inspection is revealed to be a superb example of the art of pietre dure. Composed by renowned Italian artist Mario Montelatici, the exquisite piece depicts an enchanting scene of Italian villagers returning from the market entirely composed of polished marble in place of paint. Each piece is carefully chosen for both its color and pattern to perfectly convey the mood and movement of the scene. Here, the grey bardiglio marble with its white veins perfectly evokes a stormy sky, while the white Carrara marble delineates the banks of fallen stone. Together, these luxurious marble pieces create a work of such cohesion as to have the perfect "trompe l'oeil" effect.
Few could afford such precious pictures crafted in stone, so pietre dure artists created pieces such as this on a commission basis for only the most important clients. The most desirable works from this period display remarkable realism and intricacy in their execution, with a preference for rural subjects and natural landscapes. It was these kinds of works in which the Montelatici workshop specialized, making Mario a highly sought after artisan in his day.
Mario Montelatici, born in 1894, began making Pietre dure mosaics at the age of nine. The son of Giovanni Montelatici, a master pietre dure mosaicist in his own right, he benefited from his father's expertise, and particularly the joint venture he set up in 1898 with Galileo Chini, who took on the role of artistic director of Giovanni's (and later, Mario's) workshop in the Via Arnolfo, Florence. Drawing inspiration for his compositions from the paintings of the Tuscan Macchiaiolo School and Southern Italian artists, Montelatici's works encompassed a wide variety of subjects, with particular emphasis on scenes of rural life.
A comparable work by Montelatici of the same subject is currently held in the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The subject of the pietre dure is based on a painting by renowned Italian artist Stefano Bruzzi, which won a prize in the 1888 Parma Exhibition and is currently in the Bruzzi Family Collection in Parma.
The art of pietre dure developed from the ancient art of opus sectile, where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to form a decorative pattern. Florentine craftsmen revived the art during the Renaissance, and the first known hard-stone workshop was established by the Medici family in 1588. Quickly growing in popularity, the art was also practiced in courts throughout Europe, and most especially in the courts of Naples, Madrid, Prague and Paris.
The Italians were particularly fond of pietre dure and used the technique on everything from monumental cabinets to tiny boxes. Tabletops crafted from the art were particularly popular and are among the largest surviving objects, while smaller pieces such as cameos, decorative boxes and wall plaques were also highly prized.
The meticulous technique requires that fine marbles and stones be carefully and artfully inlaid into a stone base. The technique was both expensive and time-consuming, requiring not only precious materials, but also highly skilled craftsmen. As a result, true marble and stone pietre dure works such as this are very rare and highly collectible.