What is Intarsia
Intarsia: A mosaic usually of wood fitted into a support ; also : the art or process of making such a mosaic.
Parquetry: Work in the form of usually geometrically patterned wood laid or inlaid especially for floors, using solid strips of wood.
Inlay: to set into a surface or ground material b: to adorn with insertions c: to insert (as a color plate) into a mat or other reinforcement.
Marquetry: Decorative work in which elaborate patterns are formed by the insertion of pieces of material into a wood veneer that is then applied to a surface.
The type of stone work demonstrated and sold on this site is Intarsia. A more complete definition of Intarsia can be found in the italian word called Pietre dure.
Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning hard rocks, or perhaps better durable stone and this is the preferred term
As an artistic medium, it descends from Byzantine mosaics, especially their predilection for incorporating semiprecious and precious stones into the work. It is distinct from mosaic, however, in that first, the stones are not cemented together with grout, and second, for the fact that the works in pietre dure are generally portable.
Pietre dure is essentially stone marquetry. As a high expression of lapidary art, it is closely related to the jewelers art. It can also be seen as a branch of sculpture as three-dimensionality can be achieved, as with a bas relief.[3] The Florentines, who most fully developed the form, however, regarded it as ‘painting in stone’. It is stated that Domenico Ghirlandaio “dubbed the medium ‘Pittura per l’eternità’—that is, painting for eternity”.[4]
As it developed in Florence, the technique was initially called opere di commessi (approximately, “Works of the commissariat”)
A multitude of varied objects were created. Table tops were particularly prized, and these tend to be the largest specimens. Smaller items in the form of medallions, cameos, wall plaques, panels inserted into doors or onto cabinets, bowls, jardinieres, garden ornaments, fountains, benches, etc. are all found. A popular form was to copy an existing painting, often of a human figure. Examples are found in many museums. The medium was transported to other European centers of court art and remained popular into the 19th century. In particular, Naples became a noted center of the craft. By the 20th century, the medium was in decline, in part by the assault of modernism.