Bravo to Lampoon Magazine.
No, not the American satire mag National Lampoon. We’re talking about the uber-chic, Milano-based, Italian lifestyle magazine Lampoon. They recently published a delightful, insightful profile on Bruno Lastrucci and his son Iacopo.
Here’s writer Nicola Baroni’s captivating lead:
“Two and a half centuries after it sunk into oblivion, Bruno and Iacopo Lastrucci rediscovered the site where yellow chalcedony was once extracted — a typical material found in Medicean panels realized with the Commesso Fiorentino technique. The two artisans — a father-son duo — followed ancient maps that led them to the metalliferous hills inland from Cecina, on private property in the natural park. Rucksacks on their backs, they sought the exact spot for years. «At times we would find a stone that was more yellow, other times more violet», explains Iacopo. «In the end we found the exact spot smaller than a tennis court with a vein of rock sticking out just a little from the ground, visible for only a short stretch. This is where they stocked up on yellow chalcedony in the sixteenth century». 76-year-old Bruno Lastrucci heads the last Commesso Fiorentino workshop, which still works stones using artisan methods and Medicean techniques to make true objets d’art. Between the Unification of Italy, when the Opificio delle pietre dure became a restoration laboratory and many mosaic makers who worked there opened workshops, and the end of the twentieth century, there were dozens of these laboratories in the city. Today, Lastrucci is the art’s last bulwark, producing works of art for collectors around the world, not two-bit souvenirs….”
Got you hooked?
We certainly were.
Bruno, of course was Richard Blow’s favorite mosaic maestro and closest collaborator in the heyday of the Montici workshop. The article provides deep insight into the intense and immense labor and craftsmanship required to produce a Richard Blow/Montici quality pietra dura artwork. It also reminds us that, in the 40 years since Blow’s death, Bruno and his son Iacopo have continued to produce masterful pietra dura works of art.
Click here to read the full article.
We’ve added a permanent link to this Lampoon article on our Research Page. There you will also find a link to the Lastrucci studio and current mosaic works by father and son.
It’s a small miracle -- Medici-quality, Florentine mosaics are still being produced today.
Michael Schmicker