Pietre dure Table

The technique of hard- and softstone inlay flourished in ancient Greece and Rome and was revived in Renaissance Italy, particularly in Rome and Florence. In early Renaissance examples geometric patterns prevailed, but by the end of the 1500s, as the demanding technique was mastered, artists began to include more pictorial elements, such as the scrolling foliage on this tabletop. Each decorative component is outlined in white marble, which sets off every richly colored and patterned element from the other and emphasizes the table's jewel-like quality.

This tabletop must have been produced after 1559, since the stone of the large central oval, known as breccia di Tivoli, was only discovered around this time. The stone was highly prized for its rarity and its variegated colors, which resemble gems set in dark stone.