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Pietre Dure "Owl" Panel

Creator: Richard Blow
Offered by: Lillian Nassau LLC

Description
American artist Richard Blow (1904-1983) is known today for expertly reviving the Florentine tradition of pietre dure, or stone intarsia, a highly specialized stoneworking technique dating back to before the Renaissance. Blow set up a workshop in Montici, Italy following WWII and there collaborated with the finest Italian craftspeople to produce intriguing works in stone mosaic in a modernist style.

This pietre dure panel depicts an owl perched on a variegated brown and green branch, with piercing eyes, against a glimmering black backround.

While Blow frequently depicted animals in his work, including marine and avian creatures, he rarely depicted the owl, which is considered to be a harbinger of bad luck in Italian culture. There are only a handful of examples of Blow’s work depicting owls, including a small pietra dure lidded box. This is the only known example of his wall mosaic depicting the bird.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Period:	1950-1979
Materials:	Granite and wood
Creation Date:	circa 1968
Styles / Movements:	Modern, Mid Century
Incollect Reference #:	720650

Dimensions

W.	9.25 in;	H.	8.5 in;
W.	23.5 cm;	H.	21.59 cm;

Message from Seller:

Lillian Nassau LLC, established in 1945, specializes in the extraordinary work of Tiffany Studios and Louis Comfort Tiffany, including lamps, glass, pottery, and metalwork. With over seventy-five years of expertise, they also offer 19th and 20th-century Decorative Art, Design, and Sculpture—contact them today at 212.759.6062 or via email at info@lilliannassau.com.