Early-Mid 20th Century Italian Pietra Dura Box ww 2 germany This enamel painted

This enamel painted

The pewter walnuts themselves are terrific objects

and heavy for its size

and of a nice weight to toss around too

there are darker and lighter tones to the wooden pieces

Early-Mid 20th Century Italian Pietra Dura Box ww 2 germany This enamel paintedI love pietra dura, which means hard stone in Italian, and refers to the creation of figurative cut stone mosaic work like this, which became popular as an Italian art form especially in Florence in the late 16th and 17th centuries. In my dreams I'd find a piece by early 20th c. master and innovator Giovanni Montelatici, who was significantly responsible for the revival of the art of pietra dura (look him up, his work is amazing!) Alas, this is not