18th Century Grand Tour "Two Monks with Dinner" Pietra Dura Plaque miniature This very special little object

This very special little object is a patch box

The stones have survived remarkably well

Quite remarkably

It's finished in light blue guilloché enamel and features a heart-shaped cut out under the face displaying a faux pendulum (that actually moves when the clock's running)

A spectacular Georgian cluster ring set with juicy pink-purple garnets - a halo of smaller stones arranged around a 4

18th Century Grand Tour "Two Monks with Dinner" Pietra Dura Plaque miniature This very special little objectDATE: 18th Century, c. 1720 I mistook this for a painting at first.. but it's actually the most incredible Florentine Pietra Dura (literally hard stone) mosaic portraying two monks delighting in the food from a copper pot. The execution, the details and selection of stone (particularly depicting the faces and the plate of charcuterie), is utterly breathtaking with seemingly seamless edges where the stones have been meticulously cut to fit around each