During the Renaissance the Florentine Mosaic or commesso found its maximum expression in the “ Opificio delle Pietre Dure” in Florence, a place in which the best artists of that time were called to work. The “Opificio delle Pietre Dure” was established in 1588 by the bishop Ferdinando I of the Medici and many fine works in mosaic were created. Most of them are in the museum located inside the Opificio.

The tecnique of the Florentine Mosaic has remained largely unchanged for 500 years.
The stones are imported or found by the craftsmen themselves along tuscan streams and rivers and then they are sawn by hand into small pieces using a pre-established patterned card to make the mosaic.
The above mentioned saw is a cherry wood branch bent to form a bow, and an iron wire moistened with water.
All of the pieces are glued with adhesive to a slate tablet, the stones’ natural shadings. Finally they are polished to obtain a perfect sheen. The art of the Florentine Mosaic, handed down from generation to generation, remains solidly in the hands of the florentine master craftsmen. Florentine Mosaics are displayed in the world’s most famous museums such as: Palazzo Pitti, The Uffizi Gallery, The British Museum, The Prado and many others.