A Mughal pietra dura marble frieze panel, North West India, 17th century

of rectangular form, carved from a single block of white marble with a frieze of lotus-palmettes alternating with eight-petalled rosettes inlaid in contrasting reddish-brown, ochre and variegated green hardstones, the blossoms linked by dark-grey swagged stems framed by pairs of ornate scrolling leaves, a plain dark-grey border below, drilled and mounted on modern stand

some areas of loss to the inlay, knocks and breaks to corners and extremities, as viewed
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The term pietra dura applies to a technique in which inlays of very hard stone are used. In India, its appearance is largely restricted to monuments built under Mughal patronage (Asher 1992, p.132). It is contrasted with stonework inlaid with less precious or softer stone, a technique that had been practiced in India long before the time of the Mughals. The apparent innovation of pietra dura in the 17th century has been attributed by some, not as an evolution of indigenous techniques, but as an introduction by Italian craftsmen (Koch 1988, p.39). Black marble panels with pietra dura inlay, sent from Italy, were used in the decoration of Shah Jahan's marble throne, jharoka, in the Public Audience Hall in the Shahjahanabad fort, Delhi (ibid., p.194, and plate 119). These panels, along with the appearance of other European motifs in other Mughal decoration, has led to the suggestion that not only panels but also Italian craftsmen came to India and instructed Indian pupils in new technique. This has been countered with the argument that, since Indian stone masonry already encompassed inlaid work, it would have been well within the grasp of local craftsmen to learn the new skills required to replicate the Italian imports. Furthermore, the availability of printed European material in India allowed these craftsmen to gain access to the designs of Western origin.

Whatever the case, both forms of inlay appear on the tomb of Itimad al-Daula and it is not until the architectural projects embarked upon in the reign of Shah Jahan that pietra dura in India achieved its pre-eminence as a form of architectural decoration.

It is interesting the note the close similarity in the design of this panel to the border of one of the folios in lot 100.