Stone mosaic (Commesso) of wild flowers and barley in a vase, Renato Bresci, Florence 1950-1969.

Stone mosaic (commesso) of wild flowers and barley in a vase, within a rectangular black and gold frame.

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Provenance: Gina Contini, Florence, 1969.

The art of Florentine stone mosaics (commessi di pietre dure e tenere) started in the Galleria dei Lavori founded by Grand Duke Ferdinando I de Medici in 1588. In the late 18th century, the workshops were relocated and renamed Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

The institution underwent a period of renewal in 1952 under the directorship of Lando Bartoli (1914-2002) and art historian Edward A. Maser. Reopening the museum after closure throughout the Second World War, Bartoli imagined the reorganisation of the institution against a backdrop of social and cultural renewal across Europe. He sought to inspire a new generation of young artists to work with the traditional commessi technique through the didactic display of learning collections and the dedicated exhibition of modern production. With the aim to reinvigorate this traditional art form, the Opificio issued an open call for young artists to submit their creations in hardstones, or as drawings to be reproduced in hardstones by the Opificio workshop. This resulted in a small exhibition of 23 works, including five panels from the Laboratorio Il Mosaico of Florence, based on designs by Renato Bresci, of which this example may have been part.

The almost exclusive use of softer less expensive stones such as limestones, marbles and granite in modern commesso (mosaic panels) was required to make production commercially viable. The outlines of vase, leaves and stems have been sketched into the surface of the picture by scratching the Galala marble and filling the groove with stucco paste.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert were fervent champions of mosaic craftsmanship, whether in glass or hardstones, both historic and contemporary.

LOAN:GILBERT.918:1-2008