Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Alongside the Higher Institute for Conservation and Restoration, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Workshop of Semi-Precious Stones) is one of the most renowned institutes in the field of restoration, both in Italy and abroad. With beginnings as a court mosaic and inlay factory opened by the Medici family in 1588, the museum took early form with public display rooms beginning in 1862. The collection features works in semi-precious stones, notably cabinets, tabletops, plaques and various inlaid plates, with a vast repertoire of decorations—mostly with flowers, fruit and animals, but also various pictorial scenes, such as a view of Piazza della Signoria. Highlights include a large Baroque fireplace covered with dazzling green malachite, as well as an ingenious Nordic-inspired table cabinet with landscape mosaic panels of semiprecious stones and 24 hidden compartments.