Early-Mid 20th Century Italian Pietra Dura Box horse drawing There is some some cracking

There is some some cracking where the composition covering the body meets the painted wooden legs and a bit of scuffing and paint loss here and there

with painstakingly hand-painted brick and graphite details

) all along the sides and on the roof too

--which think it suits it very well

They are really terrific objects -- the puzzles made of a nice weight tan chipboard with a bit of a sheen and black printed details

Early-Mid 20th Century Italian Pietra Dura Box horse drawing There is some some crackingI love pietra dura, which means hard stone in Italian, and refers to the creation of figurative cut stone mosaic work like this, which became popular as an Italian art form especially in Florence in the late 16th and 17th centuries. In my dreams I'd find a piece by early 20th c. master and innovator Giovanni Montelatici, who was significantly responsible for the revival of the art of pietra dura (look him up, his work is amazing!) Alas, this is not