AN ITALIAN PIETRE DURE PANEL ROME, SECOND HALF 16TH CENTURY

Overall in very good condition. Wide array of beautifully chosen marbles. Nice colors. Some cracks to areas of marble inlay; now with infill for support. The edges with some small chips and abrasions; now inset into a brass border. The central field with the most age cracks and small patches.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The panel offered here belongs to a group of late Renaissance pietra dura table tops characterized by the use of large sheets of colorful marbles and smaller panels outlined with narrow borders, often creating an intricate strap work. This typically Roman aesthetic, which is more architectural than pictorial, persisted well into the seventeenth century when inlayed stonework from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence assumed the leading role in this highly prestigious art form. Similarly to most contemporaneous Roman commessi the inclusion of hardstones, or pietre dure, is somewhat limited in the lot offered here, see Anna Maria Giusti, Pietre Dure: Hardstone in Furniture and Decorations, London, 1992, p. 10. The most famous prototype of a late Renaissance pietra dura top from a Roman workshop is undoubtedly the Farnese table in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Executed around 1560, the Farnese table and the lot offered here share a number of similarities: the field is dominated by a large sheet of marble within a white strap work border. The most recognizable design element of the border is probably the peltae, or shield shapes, which can be found on a number of comparable Roman tops dating from the second half of the sixteenth century, including one in the Palazzo Farnese, Rome, one in the Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, and one formerly in the collection of Cardinal Richelieu, now in the Louvre see ibid., p. 12, figs. 7,7 and p. 25, fig 9, respectively.  A more unique design element found on both the Farnese table and the present panel is the repeating indented rectangular fields centered by a floral motif. Whereas on the table at the Metropolitan Museum of Art these frame the Farnese lily, on the present panel they contain a stylized flower. The corner cartouches of this panel and those on the Farnese table are also almost identical in shape but whereas the Farnese cartouches are left undecorated, the ones on the present lot are filled with a palmette. The sable and horn included on this panel were executed in the same manner as those appearing on a Roman table top from the late sixteenth century sold Sotheby’s London, December 11, 2002, lot 25 and another top from circa 1600 and now in the Museo del Prado, Madrid, see Anna Maria Giusti, Pietre Dure: The Art of Semiprecious Stonework, Los Angeles, 2005, pp. 40-41, pl. 29. Whereas the field of the Farnese table top is dissected by a narrow secondary border, the present lot’s center was left undivided. This is probably more due to practical than aesthetic reasons since acquiring marble sheets of sufficient size for a smaller panel was easier and more economical.