Pietre Dure. The Art of Semiprecious Stonework
Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2006. First edition. Hardcover. Folio. 264pp. Original black cloth with blind-stamped lettering on spine, in original color-illustrated dustjacket, white lettering on spine. Glossy orange endpapers. Color frontispieces. "From the ancient history of decorative stonework comes a very special artistic phenomenon, and this richly illustrated, large-format volume tells its fascinating story. The phenomenon is is pietre dure, or polychrome hardstone marquetry, which resurfaced in Rome in the sixteenth century during the artistic flowering of the Italian Renaissance. Rome, where art took its inspiration from the cult of antiquity, fell in love with the evocative power of hardstones such as verde antico from Thessaly, breccia from the island of Skyros, and imperial porphyry. The stones decorated table tops, were inlaid into delicate floral panels, and shone from ovals of opalescent alabaster." (Publisher). Extraordinary volume with stunning color photographs throughout, many of them double-paged or full page, capturing the beauty and craftsmanship of this ancient technique brilliantly. Contains bibliography, index and photo credits at rear. New in publisher's shrink wrap (partially). Item #48140
ISBN: 9780892368495
Price: $250.00