Beautiful Florentine tondo of the XVII/XVIII century.

Beautiful Florentine tondo of the XVII/XVIII century.
"Florentine hills with castle and ruins".
Pietra dura: alberese stone (Tigrato d'Arno), painese stone, antique green and marble.
Molded walnut frame, possibly 19th century.
Measurements: 15,5 cm (panel diameter); 29,5 cm (frame diameter).

This magnificent Florentine tondo is a consummate example of the art of pietra dura, a mosaic technique of great complexity and refinement that reached its apogee in the workshops of Florence under the patronage of the Medici. Dated between the 17th and 18th centuries, the work also shows the period's taste for idealized landscapes, ruins and "capricci", which combined architectural elements from different periods in a harmonious and picturesque composition.

The work presents an imaginary landscape set in the rolling hills of Tuscany. The artist creates a visual dialogue between two glorious epochs of the Italian past: Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. In the lower part, the landscape is based on rolling hills. To represent them, the artisan has masterfully selected marbled stones in amber and dark blue tones. The natural veining of these stones evokes the texture of the earth and the shadows of the valleys. On this terrain, Roman ruins emerge, symbolized by majestic Doric columns. These are carved in a light brown stone, similar to aged travertine.
On the other side stands a medieval castle. Its construction is a mosaic in itself: the base of the fortification is made of a pink stone with subtle gradations. The tower repeats the use of the monochrome marble of the columns, visually unifying the two architectures despite their different historical origins. The sky or background of the composition is resolved with a variety of limestone such as pietra alberese. The antique green, a marble of intense green color, has been used for the details of vegetation.

The genius of this work lies in the use of the stones themselves to "paint" the landscape. The artist cuts and assembles the pieces with precision, assembling each fragment by its natural color, grain and texture.