Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure

The museum connected to the opificio (meaning 'factory') contains the Medici collection of carved hard stone. At the beginning of the 19th century the opificio began restoring inlays, mosaics and subsequently... More »

The museum connected to the opificio (meaning 'factory') contains the Medici collection of carved hard stone. At the beginning of the 19th century the opificio began restoring inlays, mosaics and subsequently sculptures, for which it is now widely renowned. The present site is where the Great Duke's workshops were set up when they were transferred to him from the Lorena at the end of the 18th century. Some of the most important pieces are the Florentine and Northern landscapes, the models and panels for the Chapel of the Princes and the 19th century tables which have been made with an extraordinary eye for detail.