Lot 787 D α

The art of painting on stone had its origin in the late Italian Renaissance. The search for novel artistic effects led painters to explore ever new substrates. They were able to purchase small panels of marble and alabaster in various colours for relatively little money from the stone cutting workshops of Rome and Florence. The agate shown here would have been considerably more expensive, as would the imported panels of lapis lazuli or rare pietra paesina (ruin marble) that were also used as substrates. This finely painted work is thought to have been carried out by an artist active in Rome in the 17th century.