An Italian Small Pietre Dure Panel depicting a Levantine Merchant, Attributed to Antonio Ciocci, Late 18th Century

Thomas Coulborn & Sons, Sutton Coldfield

Antonio Ciocci (D.1792) was a painter and engraver in Florence in the latter part of the 18th century. By 1770 he had become director of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, a government department dedicated to the cutting of hard stone, which was a strong source of revenue for Florence. He was responsible for the decoration of the Villa la Tana at Candeli and the ducal villa at Poggio Imperiale.