A PAIR OF ITALIAN PIETRE DURE CIRCULAR PANELS, FLORENCE CIRCA 1700

This type of circular panel depicting views of Tuscany were produced by the Grand Ducal workshops in the early 18th century and were highly sought after by collectors in the 19^th century. An important example of how these panels would be bought by foreigners and mounted is the Florentiner zimmer built between 1710 and 1712. The Rastatt Favorite Palace (Schloss Favorite Rastatt), Germany retains this extraordinary room where 758 Florentine pietre dure panels are framed and inset in the walls. Two similar panels in the Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure are illustrated in F. Rossi, La pittura di pietra, Florence, 1984, pp.104-105 and three other related panels are in A.M. Giusti, Il museo dell' Opificio delle Pietre Dure a Firenze, Milan, 1978, figs. 50-52.