This fine pietra dura panel by American artist Richard Blow (1904-1983) depicts two different species of water birds using the technique of stone intarsia; naturalistic details, including the plumage of the birds, is suggested through the careful selection and arrangement of the inherent variegation and striations in the stone.
Blow was an instrumental figure in reviving the Florentine tradition of pietra dura, or stone intarsia, a complex stoneworking technique dating back to before the Renaissance. Following WWII, Blow traveled to Montici, Italy and set up a workshop where he collaborated with the finest Italian craftspeople to produce intriguing works in stone mosaic in a modernist style.
This rare example of Blow’s work is signed on the reverse.
Height: 11 inches (28 cm)
Width: 15 inches (38 cm)