table top; Florentine work, 20th century. Plaster,... Lot 35

table top; Florentine work, 20th century. Plaster, hard stones. Provenance: private collection conceived since the 1970s between London and Madrid. The table does not retain the support structure. Measurements: 120 x 70 x 4 cm. Table top made of hard stones following models from the workshops of the Dukes of Tuscany, kept in the Piti Palace. The hard-stone decoration is arranged all over the tabletop, which is decorated with vegetal decoration, rising towards the centre in a thin band which outlines geometric shapes and is transformed in some areas into vegetal scrolls. The technique known as hard-stone work is a type of inlay that uses coloured marble and hard stone and was born in Florence. Thanks to the efforts of Piero de Medici and Lorenzo the Magnificent to revitalise and update a mosaic technique, called opus sectile, used in ancient Rome. In the 17th century France was the first court to show a clear interest in the hard stone technique, establishing centres including the Gobelins factory. In Italy, the Royal workshop in Naples stood out, which took over from Florence when the Medicis disappeared. Charles III in Spain brought several foreign masters with the intention of organising a workshop, which was set up in the Royal Site of El Buen Retiro. Stylistically there was a wide variety of decorative motifs, although from 1600 onwards there was a clear preference for natural aesthetic patterns, to which other zoomorphic motifs were added over time.