Lot Essay
The use of onyx, lost since antiquity, was re-discovered in the mid-19th Century in Algeria by an Italian named Delmonte, who ceded his rights to Alphonse Pallu, establishing the Compagnie des Marbres onyx de l'Algerie, in 1858. Its popularity grew, following the International Exhibition in London in 1862, where it had its first major public viewing.