Customer Reviews

Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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I've just returned from seeing the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and now I can't wait to have the book. I saw the book while I was in the Met's Book Shop and it is absolutely great with so many pictures of the items on exhibit. If you can't get to the exhibit which is on thru Sept. 21st, this book is the next best thing!

"Pietre dure" is the Italian word for "hardstones". It is used to describe artworks utilising semiprecious stone. A variant of this is called "comesso" where a mosaic of flat stone pieces is formed into a decorative or pictoral panel. This artform was developed and reached its peak in renaissance Florence. This catalogue of an exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum presents 147 examples of the various permutations of this dazzling area of decorative art.

In its heyday, the finest and most elaborate examples of pietre dure were highly prized by wealthy art patrons. It was a way that kings and princes could show off their riches. These works were hugely expensive, costing far more than paintings executed by famous artists such as Titian. This fact is not surprizing, given the expense of the semiprecious stones and the time involved (sometimes up to 5 years) in its manufacture.

Many of the pieces presented in this catalogue are of sumptuous magnificence. A number of them were originally owned by Emperor Rudolf the Second and the Medici family. There are too many types of objects to detail; here is a small example of what is to be seen. Tabletops, mosaic paintings (comesso), reliquaries, a tea service, bowls, collectors cabinets, statues and vases. Particularly memorable is No 38, "Table with top depicting flowers", made of hardstones and gold. The complexity and detail of the design is akin to that seen in a fine oriental carpet. Its manufacture took around four years. What skill and patience those artisans must have possessed.

This catalogue has copious and interesting essays on pietre dure and the exhibited works are comprehensively annotated. The quality of the reproductions and printing in general is well above average. A must buy for those inerested in this fascinating area of decorative art.

Great value, fantastic content. Exactly what I had hoped for at a price I forced myself to afford.