THE BASE BY EGISTO GAJANI, THE PIETRE DURE POSSIBLY BY ENRICO BOSI FLORENCE, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

The ancient Roman art of pietre dure was revived in 16th and 17th century Florence under the Grand Ducal workshops of the Medici family, in particular during the reigns of Cosimo I (1569-74), his son Francesco (1574-1587), and Cosimo's brother Ferdinand I (1587-1609). Although production experienced a further renaissance during the 19th century, the House of Savoy, now the ruling family of the unified country, preferred to commission works from private Florentine workshops, such as that of Enrico Bosi. Bosi established a workshop on the via Tornabuoni in 1858, employing up to thirty-six craftsmen by the 1860s. He exhibited widely, both in Italy and abroad, and was a personal acquaintance of Victor Emmanuele II, who made him an equerry. A table with a closely related base and top inlaid with the arms of the Duchy of Savoy Kingdom of Italy, possibly by Bosi, was sold Christie's, New York, 10 October 2001, lot 338 (£30,550). That table was perhaps included on Bosi's stand at the Esposizione Nazionale Italiana, held in Florence in 1861 to celebrate the unification of the country.

The gueridon's stand typifies both the quality and eclecticism of one of 19th century Italy's master intagliatori, Egisto Gajani (1832-92). Gajani was one of the most celebrated Florentine carvers, training under Angiolo Barbetti (1805-1875) before establishing his own workshop in 1861. Like Bosi, he sought to expand his clientele by participating in international exhibitions, including Dublin in 1865, where he received a gold medal, Paris in 1867 and 1878, Philadelphia in 1876 and Venice in 1887.