{"id":4048,"date":"2025-03-15T10:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T09:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/?post_type=newsletter&p=4048"},"modified":"2025-03-15T10:24:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T09:24:00","slug":"the-art-of-pique","status":"publish","type":"newsletter","link":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/newsletter\/the-art-of-pique\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Piqu\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Attributed to Nicola de Turris, Inkstand in piqu\u00e9 , circa 1750, Galerie L\u00e9age To discover at TEFAF Maastricht 2025, from March 15 to 20, stand 144<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Blending tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl and gold, piqu\u00e9 is an infinitely precious technique, brought to its apogee by Neapolitan craftsmen in the 18th<\/sup> century. Among the exceptional pieces in piqu\u00e9 known today is an inkstand attributed to Nicola de Turris, to be discovered at TEFAF Maastricht on our stand 144.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attributed to Nicola de Turris, Inkstand in piqu\u00e9 , circa 1750, Galerie L\u00e9age To discover at TEFAF Maastricht 2025, from March 15 to 20, stand 144<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Piqu\u00e9 refers to objects made from a core of tortoiseshell, skillfully adorned with elements of mother-of-pearl, gold and sometimes silver elements. Various processes were used: clout\u00e9 \u2014 tiny holes drilled into the tortoiseshell and filled with gold thread; coul\u00e9 \u2014 fine grooves cut into the tortoiseshell and filled with gold thread laid horizontally; incrust\u00e9 \u2014 mother-of-pearl or gold elements laid on the softened tortoiseshell. Brod\u00e9 combines the first three techniques and is used by the most talented craftsmen to create remarkable pieces. In the 18th<\/sup> century, piqu\u00e9 was practiced throughout Europe, and was used to decorate snuffboxes and other small precious objects. Neapolitan craftsmen, known as tartarugari , created the most remarkable pieces. From 1720 to 1760, they produced pieces of extreme luxury, stimulated by the refinement of the brilliant court of King Charles de Bourbon. These precious objects were highly prized gifts, spreading Neapolitan know-how around the world: Sultan Mahmud I received piqu\u00e9 objects during his visit to Naples in 1740.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attributed to Giuseppe Sarao, Casket forming an inkstand , circa 1725\u20131735, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. R 27) \u00a9 2018 Mus\u00e9e du Louvre \/ D\u00e9partement des Objets d\u2019art du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The names of several Neapolitan workshops and tartarugari are still known today. Some of them signed their creations, and some rare pieces were even dated. The most famous workshop is that of Giuseppe Sarao and his son Gennaro. Between 1720 and 1750, they produced some of the masterpieces of the art of piqu\u00e9 . Other workshops were particularly renowned, notably that of Nicola de Turris, to whom our insktand is attributed. In 1735, in Giuseppe Senator\u2019s Description of the festivities celebrated in Naples for the return of Charles de Bourbon, de Turris is mentioned as one of the \u201cmain teachers working with tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl\u201d, alongside Giuseppe Sarao. An inkstand preserved at Waddesdon Manor is signed in his hand: \u201c Turris F. Neap \u201d. Tartarugari produced various pieces in their workshops, including small toiletries, tableware and inkstands. Some very rare pieces of furniture are known to exist, such as a table in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and a miniature cabinet in the collections of the Mus\u00e9e du Louvre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attributed to Giuseppe Sarao, Cabinet , circa 1725\u20131735, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. R21) \u00a9 2018 Mus\u00e9e du Louvre \/ D\u00e9partement des Objets d\u2019art du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The most sophisticated decorations from Neapolitan workshops combine arabesque motifs with complex historiated scenes. French ornamentalist Jean B\u00e9rain (1640\u22121711) was one of the main sources of inspiration for tartarugari . Others, such as the German Paul Decker, also supplied ornamental works that were often repeated. Tartarugari craftsmen followed Parisian tastes, from Louis XIV to R\u00e9gence in the early 18th<\/sup> century, then Rocaille. Neoclassical taste came to the fore in production around 1760, with motifs borrowed from the textile world and the gradual disappearance of mother-of-pearl, while the art of piqu\u00e9 generally declined. During the first half of the century, chinoiserie was an important source of inspiration. The color of tortoiseshell, the brilliance and preciousness of the materials were reminiscent of Asian lacquerware and lent themselves particularly well to chinoiserie. This casket from our collections, attributed to Gennaro Sarao, features Chinese pagodas, characteristic of this taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attributed to Genaro Sarao, Casket in piqu\u00e9 , circa 1745\u20131755, Galerie L\u00e9age<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Extremely precious and refined, piqu\u00e9 objects are coveted by discerning collectors. One of the greatest connoisseurs was the English aristocrat Sir Julian Goldsmid (1838\u22121896), whose 1896 sale brought together nearly 80 lots of piqu\u00e9 tortoiseshell of exceptional quality. The Rothschilds were also actively seeking out piqu\u00e9 pieces across Europe. In the 20th<\/sup> century, Queen Mary of England also developed a passion for these objects and assembled an important collection, still preserved today in the English royal Collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giuseppe Sarao, Tray , 1725\u20131735, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. R 26) \u00a9 2016 GrandPalaisRmn (mus\u00e9e du Louvre) \/ St\u00e9phane Mar\u00e9challe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Discover or rediscover the art of piqu\u00e9 at TEFAF Maastricht, on our stand 144, from March 15 to 20!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography: Alexis Kugel, Compl\u00e8tement piqu\u00e9. Le fol art de l\u2019\u00e9caille \u00e0 la cour de Naples , \u00c9ditions Monelle Hayot, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attributed to Nicola de Turris, Inkstand in piqu\u00e9 , circa 1750, Galerie L\u00e9age To discover at TEFAF Maastricht 2025, from March 15 to 20, stand 144<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blending tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl and gold, piqu\u00e9 is an infinitely precious technique, brought to its apogee by Neapolitan craftsmen in the 18th<\/sup> century. Among the exceptional pieces in piqu\u00e9 known today is an inkstand attributed to Nicola de Turris, to be discovered at TEFAF Maastricht on our stand 144.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4049,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4048","newsletter","type-newsletter","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"url_news1":{"simple_value_formatted":"","value_formatted":"","value":"","field":{"ID":438,"key":"field_64c00914a1189","label":"URL","name":"url_news1","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"url","value":null,"menu_order":0,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":437,"wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"only_front":0,"frontend_admin_display_mode":"edit","no_values_message":"","wp-typography":"none","default_value":"","placeholder":"","wpml_cf_preferences":1,"_name":"url_news1","_valid":1}}},"mcc_id":null,"mcc_type":null,"mcc_status":null,"mcc_create_time":null,"mcc_send_time":null,"mcc_emails_sent":null,"mcc_delivery_status":null,"mcc_content_type":null,"mcc_archive_url":null,"mcc_long_archive_url":null,"mcc_plain_text":null,"mcc_content_html":null,"mcc_recipients":null,"mcc_list_id":null,"mcc_list_name":null,"mcc_segment_text":null,"mcc_recipient_count":null,"mcc_settings":null,"mcc_tracking":null,"mcc_social_card":null,"mcc_report_summary":null,"mcc___links":null,"mcc__edit_lock":null,"mcc__edit_last":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/4048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newsletter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4048"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/4048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4051,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/4048\/revisions\/4051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}