Pietra dure table top
Pietra Dure Table Top, Mosaic of hard stones, Italy c1858, Vaucluse House collection
Mosaic of hard stones, Italy c1858. Owned by William Charles Wentworth (1790–1872) and Sarah Wentworth (1805–1880) of Vaucluse House and later their son, FitzWilliam Wentworth. Vaucluse House collection, presented by Mr George Neville Wentworth. Pietra dure, decorative mosaic of semi-precious hardstones, such as agate, jasper, chalcedony and lapis lzuli was brought to technical and artistic excellence in Florence in the 16th century. It was used for decorative table tops, caskets and cabinets in geometric designs and to portray arrangements of flowers and fruit, landscapes, portraits and religious subjects. It was a popular acquisition for northern Europeans embarking on the Grand Tour in the 18th century and colonial Australians embarking on a discovery of Europe in the 19th century. The Wentworth family toured Italy (as far south as Naples) in 1858–1859. The Vaucluse House also possesses two scagliola table tops collected at this time.
