Onyx Vase

Still life is an artistic genre that consists of the pictorial representation of inanimate objects, such as flowers, fruit, vegetables, musical instruments, bottles or dead animals, in vogue in the Netherlands from the mid-16th century, and then spread to the rest of Europe even in subsequent centuries.

The expression "still life" derives from the improper translation of the Dutch phrase still-leven, which literally means "still nature". This pictorial genre has ancient roots, but it was in the late Renaissance and Baroque that it acquired a new symbolic meaning, especially after the Council of Trent in 1563, when inanimate objects were considered capable of evoking religious and devotional meanings. Until then, paintings mainly focused on historical scenes or human figures, completely neglecting inanimate subjects. Plants, animals and foods could be present in the paintings, but only as decorative elements, complementary to the main plot. It will only be from the seventeenth century that these representations began to be treated as independent subjects, attracting the attention of painters and clients especially from Northern Europe.

This kind of representations, with a realistic and detailed style, found inspiration from everyday domestic life and the intimate nature of the composition is a means through which the artist conveyed messages of transience. Still life paintings, especially those themed "Vanitas" – a type of still life particularly widespread between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries – were rich in symbolism.

The skill of the artist lies in giving, through a careful composition and a particular atmosphere of shadows and lights, a breath of ideal life to these objects or inanimate things. The color choices were not random, but full of meaning: in the seventeenth century, for example, yellow, blue and red were associated with the ideal of purity and sacredness.

Stones used: Langue D'Oc, Green Onix, Lineato Valdarno, Egiptian Diasper.

Year of composition: 2025

Size: cm 45x54,5

Artist: Leonardo Scarpelli

An original and authentic hand-made artwork created whith the antique technique of Commesso Fiorentino which is unique for Florence.

Commesso Fiorentino was born with Medici family, one of the most important families in Florence, in the second half of 1500.

The research of the stones is made by the mosaicist that must be able to choose from a rich and wide range of shades and veins: for this reason the artists personally search and collect the stones retracing the paths of the Medici researchers.

The processing starts by drawing the subject on adhesive paper, that is then cut into small tamplates that will be attached to the variegated shades of the stones following the visual instinct, the innate gift of the artist and his perfect knowledge of the materials. The shape of the little piece will be cut by hand with a chestnut, cherry or hazelnut wood bow and an iron wire that flows with abrasive powder and water. It creates a very precise and inclined cut to form the essential spaces to accommodate the glue, made by artisans with beeswax and pine tree resin. The different stones are previously glued onto a slate surface which acts as a support during the cutting and filing phase. The various pieces which form the composition are adjusted in shape with diamond files, glued together so that the joints are invisible, flattened and finally polished in order to create a perfect decorative harmony showing the colors of nature in all their radiance.