A stone inlaid panel with a panther
Hardstone marquetry made from rare marbles. H 11.1, W 13.3 cm. Carved and gilded softwood frame H 21.5, W 24.3 cm.
Attributed to Florence, Grand Ducal workshops, 17th C.
The Opificio delle Pietre Dure was founded in 1588 by Grand Duke Ferdinand I de Medici and was located in the Uffizi as part of the Galleria dei Lavori workshops. The workshop's task was to produce hardstone inlays for furnishing rooms and decorating opulent furniture, as well as laying stone mosaic floors, such as the one in the Cappella dei Principi. The workshops experienced a constant increase in the volume of orders until the 18th century. Although hardstone marquetry was also practiced north of the Alps, such as in Prague under Cosimo Castrucci or in the Manufacture royale des Gobelins in Paris, the production there was usually not intended for export. Only the Florentine craftsmen were able to work so efficiently that the small stone panels were offered for sale freely and can thus now be found in art collections throughout Europe.
Literature
Cf. Giusti, Pietre Dure and the Art of Florentine Inlay, London 2006, p. 123, for the panel in the Château de Versailles, and p. 168 for the panel of a cabinet in the Institute of Art Detroit.
Cf. also the inlays with wild cats in the Augsburg art cabinet of Johann Georg Esser in the Munich Residence (cat. Pracht und Zeremoniell, Munich 2002, no. 19).