Altar frontal; Florence, XVII century.

Altar frontal; Florence, XVII century.
Stucco and wrought iron legs.
Adapted as a table.
Presents craquelure.
Measurements; 78 x 273,5 x 95 cm.
Altar frontal made of hard stones with the representation of the Virgin of Loreto, located in the center of the piece, inscribed in a border. The rest of the design is based on Renaissance-inspired vegetal motifs, with lacerias and large scrolls of great compositional fluidity.
The technique known as hard stone work is a type of inlay that uses colored marbles and hard stones and was born in Florence. Thanks to the efforts of Piero de Medici and Lorenzo the Magnificent to revitalize and update a mosaic technique, called opus sectile used in ancient Rome. In the 17th century France was the first court to show a clear interest in the hard stone technique, establishing centers among which the Gobelins factory stood out. In Italy, the Royal workshop of Naples stood out, which took over from Florence when the Medici disappeared. Charles III in Spain brought several foreign masters with the intention of organizing a workshop, which was installed in the Royal site of El Buen Retiro. Stylistically there was a great variety of decorative motifs, although from 1600 there was a clear preference for natural aesthetic patterns to which other zoomorphic motifs were added over time.