AN ITALIAN BAROQUE PIETRE DURE PANEL, ATTRIBUTED TO THE OPIFICIO DELLE PIETRE DURE FLORENCE, 17TH CENTURY

now in a parcel-gilt and ebonized frame.

Now in an ebonized and parcel-gilt frame with losses and chips to decoration. Large size and beautifully executed. The panel with areas of infill, significantly to the slate. Some small chips and losses. Many of the flowers have infill and restorations due to losses. Surface scratches and some abrasions.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Although executed at other workshops in Italy and France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, pietra dura plaques with birds perched on fruiting branches originated from the Opificio delle pietre dure, which was founded in 1588 by Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici. The most favored designs by the court and other noble patrons were those that incorporated flowers and birds. The plaques with birds on fruiting branches are probably based on zoological and botanical drawings executed by Iacopo Ligozzi (1547-1626) who supplied patterns to the craftsmen at the Florentine Grand Ducal workshop, see Anna Maria Giusti, Il Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure a Firenze: Capolavori, Livorno, 1999, p. 30.