This particular Pietra Dura brooch is an exquisite example of the craftmanship that is pietra dura mosaic. It is one of only a few which feature the magnolia flower. Most feature more obscure flowers.

The attention to detail, which has gone into this brooch and into picking each piece of hardstone, makes the tone of the final image reminiscent of a Vermeer or Rembrandt painting.

It may be by maker Enrico Bosi, who was one of a few who used the Magnolia as motif. Though this is unconfirmed.

The style of pietra dura jewellery was developed throughout the 1800s, and many pieces were more crudely put together, and with brighter colours, often offering a less real-life picture than the one seen here.

This is a magnificent example of pietra dura jewellery, and one that leaves the viewer both mesmerized by its beauty and transported to the time from which it hails.