Pietre Dure / Pierre Dure

Sometimes known as Florentine Mosaic, this intricate inlay work uses sections of coloured stone to build up detailed pictures. The pieces fit together perfectly, making this technique similar to Opus Sectile.

Pietre Dure (aka Pietra Dura) uses marble in conjunction with rare and precious stones such as agate, amethyst, jasper and lapis. The stones are cut and polished to form part of designs which, typically, feature birds, flowers, still life and landscape scenes.

Pietre Dure panels are often used as embellishments for furniture and smaller decorative objects and some of the finest examples of this technique can be seen in The Gilbert Collection at London’s Somerset House. The art of Pietre Dure is vigorously promoted by the Opificio Institute in Florence.