PIETRA-DURA PICTORIAL PANEL,
Bohemia, 17th century. Attributable to the workshop of Giovanni Castrucci.
Bohemian jasper, agates, various semi-precious stones and marble of different colors, inlaid. The center depicting Saint Jerome. Blackened wooden frame with inner frame, the corners with village views in Pietra-Dura. Four small reserves with stone inlays. The back with remains of a collection label and numbered in ink XLII over an underlined 7, the frame with collection label, No. 27.
40 x 52 cm.

Some parts of the molding missing; minor losses in the stone marquetry. Some stone parts, somewhat protruding.

In its composition and materials, the present "Commesso in pietre dure" or "Florentine Mosaic" is reminiscent of designs by the Florentine studio Castrucci, which produced top-quality stonework at the Prague Court under the reign of Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612).

Literature:
-Clare Vincent, "Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein's Pietre Dure Tabletop", Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 22, 1987, pp. 157-178.
-Wolfram Köppe (ed.) and Anna Maria Giusti with contributions by Cristina Acidini, Rudolf Distelberger, Detlef Heikamp, Jutta Kappel, Florian Knothe, and Ian Wardropper, "Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe", MET Publication, New York, 2008, pp. 29 ff. & pp. 219-229.