Mughal dagger hilt in jade with gold, rubies, and emeralds.
Hardstone carving, in art history and archaeology, is the artistic carving of semi-precious stones (and sometimes gemstones), such as jade, rock crystal (clear quartz), agate, onyx, jasper, serpentinite, or carnelian, and for objects made in this way.[1][2] Normally the objects are small, and the category overlaps with both jewellery and sculpture. Hardstone carving is sometimes referred to by the Italian term pietre dure;[3] however, pietra dura (with an "a") is the common term used for stone inlay work, which causes some confusion.[4]
From the Neolithic period until about the 19th century such objects were among the most highly prized in a wide variety of cultures, often attributed special powers or religious significance, but today coverage in non-specialist art history tends to be relegated to a catch-all decorative arts or "minor arts" category. The types of objects carved have included those with ritual or religious purposes, engraved gems as signet rings and other kinds of seal, handles, belt hooks and similar items, vessels and purely decorative objects.
^"CAMEO database: Hardstone". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014.
^Carvalho, Pedro de Moura (2010). Gems and Jewels of Mughal India. London: Nour Foundation. ISBN 978-1-874780-72-4.
^This catalogue provides a comprehensive history of pietre dure, a virtuoso form of hardstone carving that reached an artistic peak in Italy in the 16th century and subsequently spread throughout Europe. Giusti, Annamaria; Koeppe, Wolfram, eds. (2008). Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art in association with Yale University Press. ISBN 978-1-58839-288-6.
^That confusion is a good reason for not using the term pietre dure.[citation needed] See pietra dura for more on the distinction.
Hardstonecarving, in art history and archaeology, is the artistic carving of semi-precious stones (and sometimes gemstones), such as jade, rock crystal...
attractive – ones which could be used in jewellery. Hardstonecarving is the three-dimensional carving for artistic purposes of semi-precious stones such...
lapidary techniques of cutting, grinding, and polishing. Hardstonecarving requires specialized carving techniques. In modern contexts, a gemcutter is a person...
painted, usually after a thin coat of plaster was applied. Hardstonecarving is the carving for artistic purposes of semi-precious stones such as jade...
The use of mirrors in Mesoamerican culture was associated with the idea that they served as portals to a realm that could be seen but not interacted with...
been the most commonly used minerals in the making of jewelry and hardstonecarvings, especially in Europe and Asia. Quartz is the mineral defining the...
extension of skills developed by cutters of engraved gems, or the larger hardstonecarving of vessels in semi-precious stones, which were luxury arts with enormous...
were given doors and jali grilles in silver and even gold. Persian hardstonecarvings, once thought to mostly date to the 15th and 16th centuries, are now...
the work more into the area of hardstonecarving. Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning "hard rocks" or hardstones; the singular pietra dura is also...
was a semi-legendary sacred vase, probably in precious metal or a hardstonecarving rather than pottery (though the material is not specified), which...
use for hardstonecarving and jewelry, where it is usually cut as a cabochon or into beads. It has also been used for intaglio and hardstone cameo engraved...
achievement were reached in other materials, including hardstonecarvings and jewellery, ivory carving, textiles and leatherwork. During the Middle Ages,...
An ephod (Hebrew: אֵפוֹד ʾēfōḏ; /ˈɛfɒd/ or /ˈiːfɒd/) was a type of apron that, according to the Hebrew Bible, was worn by the High Priest of Israel, an...
mined or carved in China from the Neolithic onward. It is the primary hardstone of Chinese sculpture. Although deep and bright green jadeite is better...
agate Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hardstonecarving, and has been recovered at a number of ancient sites, indicating its...
Tumble finishing, also known as tumbling or rumbling, is a technique for smoothing and polishing a rough surface on relatively small parts. In the field...
platy habit. Many types of serpentine have been used for jewelry and hardstonecarving, sometimes under the name "false jade" or "Teton jade". Most serpentines...
Magatama (勾玉, less frequently 曲玉) are curved, comma-shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Final Jōmon period through the Kofun period...
using the same techniques, including coins and medals, hardstonecarvings, a term for small carvings in stone that can take detailed work. The very large...
Catlinite, also called pipestone, is a type of argillite (metamorphosed mudstone), usually brownish-red in color, which occurs in a matrix of Sioux Quartzite...
A rock crystal vase is a vase made of rock crystal, a type of hardstonecarving. Such vases were rare, expensive, and decorated with gold and jewels,...
The priestly breastplate or breastpiece of judgment (Hebrew: חֹשֶׁן ḥōšen) was a sacred breastplate worn by the High Priest of the Israelites, according...
Both nephrite and jadeite were used from prehistoric periods for hardstonecarving. Jadeite has about the same hardness (between 6.0 and 7.0 Mohs hardness)...
Haida argillite carvings are a sculptural tradition among the Haida indigenous nation of the Northwest Coast of North America. It first became a widespread...
Philippine jade culture, or jade artifacts, made from white and green nephrite and dating as far back as 2000–1500 BC, have been discovered at a number...
Ptolemies and heads or figures carved in the round are also known as hardstonecarvings. Glyptics or glyptic art covers the field of small carved stones,...
The Farnese Cup or Tazza Farnese is a 2nd-century BC cameo hardstonecarving bowl or cup made in Hellenistic Egypt in four-layered sardonyx agate, now...
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