Marble Inlay Dining Table Tops Handcrafted Table Top Rectangle Pietra Dura Tables, Italian Dining Table Top

Pietra Dura, an introduction & history

What is Pietra Dura?

An inlaying technique usually associated with workshops in Florence, Italy, used to describe sculptural or decorative use of hard stones to decorate furniture, cameos, vases, and panels with various stones such as malachite, lapis lazuli, and jasper.

History of Pietra Dura:

Pietra dura is an Italian phrase that means "hard stone," and usually refers to the technique of creating intricate inlaid pictures from shaped colored stones. The stones used are usually silicates, including agates, alabaster, amethyst, jade, jasper, lapis lazuli, malachite, onyx, and topaz. The craft, developed in antiquity, originally consisted of shaping stones with small saws, wires and other metal instruments and adding them to decorative objects such as vases or small sculptures. The art was revived during the Renaissance by Italian craftsmen and the first hard-stone workshop was established by the Medici family in Florence in 1588. The art was also practiced at the courts of Naples, Madrid, Prague, Paris and elsewhere. From the late 16th century, the colorful stones were arranged on furniture as landscapes and flower scenes.

Difference Between Indian Inlay & Pietra Dura?

Unlike the pietra dura of Italy and particularly the Florentine tradition, Indian inlay work is not three-dimensional but more flat. The Mughal adaptations have ensured that the European birds have been replaced by the Indian kingfisher, myna, and red-breasted parakeet.

With the exit of the Mughals, the art of marble inlay work also started to decline. The number of craftsmen engaged in this art began to dwindle. So much so that in the mid-19th century there were only 100 craftsmen specializing in this work.

Marble Inlay Work, an introduction & history

What is Inlay Art?

One of the most attractive work of art that comes from marble is "Marble Inlay" work. It is the same work that adorns the Taj Mahal and other Mughal monuments.

t is a closely protected traditional art and only a few expert exponents are available today. The delicate process involves cutting and engraving marble shapes manually. To start with, a predefined pattern e.g., floral design or geometrical design is engraved on the marble slab. Small pieces of marble of different shades are cut delicately to fit in these grooves precisely. These small pieces are then slipped in the grooves. Apart from marble, many other materials can also be used.

History of Inlay Art:

"Inlay work on delicate precious stone began in the workshops of Florence in Italy around the end of the 16th century. This was known as PIETRA DURA.(Pietra= Stone, Dura= Hard) The Italians had created a classic artistic form and held a monopoly over it. From 1630 onwards pietra dura appeared on moveable, small objects as decorative panels, with bird and flower motifs, suitable for cabinet fronts and table tops. Some of these soon reached the Mughals in the form of presents.

Of all the Mughal Emperors, Shah Jahan was the greatest patron of architecture in India. For him no amount of money or time was too much to create enduring, everlasting architectural beauty and through it be remembered always. It is in his buildings that one feels most compelled to make the connection between Mughal art and pietra dura. The Taj Mahal, the cenotaphs of the Emperor and his wife, the main floor and the surrounding marble railings bear very close resemblances to the pietra dura form."


Process of Inlay Art:

Bases:
We mostly use two types of bases, White Marble and Black Stone. We can also use other colored bases such as Green Marble, as per buyerಥquirement. Inlay on White Marble gives a Royal touch where as Black Stone gives a very attractive look.


"Types of bases we used: 1) White Marble (Makrana, Rajasthan india)
2) Creama Marble (Italy)"

Inlay natural stones:

A design, be it a floral or geometrical motif is cut out on a brass sheet. This is then placed on marble, drawn and then the marble is carved out. Slices of Colored stones, which have in the meantime been shaped and polished, are then laid into the marble with adhesive.

There are almost 30 types of color stones available. Sometimes a heat treatment is given to particular stone to get a shading effect, e.g. heating Jaisalmer (Yellow) stone to get a red color.