Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum
The Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum is a small but extremely interesting museum, one of my favorites ones! It tells the story of an artistic technique unique in the world and typical of Florence.
It is the Commesso Fiorentino, a kind of mosaic made up of semiprecious stones. With this technique the last ones of the Medici decorated the Chapel of the Princes, one of the Medici Chapels in the Church of San Lorenzo, where they were buried.
The technique of Commesso Fiorentino
Opificio means workshop, and pietre dure means semiprecious stones. So the museum is dedicated to the history of the workshop of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany (that is the Medici) for the creation of decorations with Commesso Fiorentino. This workshop was founded in the early 1600s by Ferdinando I de ‘Medici, to produce the decorations for the Chapel of the Princes.
For centuries the workshop has produced these precious works of art only for the Medici and their magnificent burial place. Only from 1700 did they begin to sell these pieces to other families, and to use them as exclusive gifts for their friends.
The Commesso Fiorentino is a very precious decoration, difficult to make, and which requires rare and very expensive materials. Some of the materials used are marble, granite, mother of pearl, coral, onyx and much more.
The semiprecious stones of different colors and textures are cut into thin slabs. Then they are precisely cut out and juxtaposed together to create designs. A background of black slate was often used to bring out the colors of the stones.
Opificio delle Pietre Dure museum private tour
The museum tells the story of this unique artistic technique through the pieces that remained in the warehouses of the workshop. Defective parts, unsold orders and production leftovers, because successful parts were used for their purpose, or sold in the past.
During the private tour I will tell you the history of the Commesso Fiorentino artistic technique. And I will show you the most important pieces of the collection and answer all the questions you may want to ask me.
Info about the museum
- Address: via degli Alfani 78 (super close to the Accademia Gallery Museum)
- Ticket is 4 euro
- Opening hour: 8.15-14.00
- Open every day except Sundays
Note: The entrance ticket to the Uffizi Gallery will let you enter for free at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum in the next 5 days! More info here.
Info about the private tour of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum
- Duration: 1 hour
- Meeting point: in front of the entrance of the museum
- Included: your local licensed tour guide (me!)
- Not included: entrance tickets
This tour can be easily paired with a visit to the Medici Chapels, and/or with a visit to the nearby Accademia Gallery museum.
Feel free to contact me to get more info about this tour, prices and to book your private tour using the form below:
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