19th Century Hardstone Agate Inlaid Marble Table

The lovely Pietra Dura piece, inlaid with the most stunningly rich and vivid Sicilian Hardstone Agate, fabulously contrasts to absolute perfection with the depth of the Black Marble. The turned pedestal column, sits on a black triform base, with each end inlaid with matching disks of Sicilian Hardstone Agate.

The term Hardstone is unscientific, mostly encountered within decorative arts or archaeology, it has a similar meaning to semi-precious stones, or gemstones. Very hard building stones, such as granite, are not included in the term in this sense, only stones which are fairly hard, and regarded as attractive, with a higher value due their rarity, colours and appearance, in effect ones which could be used in jewellery. Hardstone inlay, also known as Pietra Dure for artistic purposes , is the inlay of semi-precious stones such as Jade, Agate, Onyx, Rock Crystal, Sard or Carnelian, and a general term for an object made in this way of Pietra Dura. The dimensional inlay techniques for floors, furniture and walls were typically inlaid into a background of marble, as is the case on this wonderful piece.

Agate is a rock formation, consisting of Chalcedony and Quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colours. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of Agate dates back to Ancient Greece in assorted jewellery and in the seal stones of Greek warriors. Use of beads necklaces with pierced and polished agate goes further back to the 3rd millennium BCE in the Indus Valley civilisation. The stone was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the Dirillo River or Achates ( Ancient Greek: ???t??) in Sicily, sometime between the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE.

Approximate Size:

Height: 30 inches

Diameter: 23.45 inches

A rare and visually striking 19th Century Florentine Pietra Dura table