In the ancient district of Sampierdarena, more precisely in the church of Santa Maria della Cella, there is an altar embellished with a splendid antependium made with the technique of commesso in semi-precious stones. This technique has very ancient origins, described by Pliny the Elder in his book "Naturalis Historia," who mentions it as a technique used in the mausoleum of Halicarnassus dating back to the fourth century BC. This technique was later imported to Rome in the first century B.C. and called "Opus Sectile" by the Romans.The semi-precious stone commesso is considered one of the most refined and prestigious techniques, both because of the marbles used, which had to be the rarest and most precious, and because of the difficulties involved in its realization. To make an artifact with this technique, marbles were reduced into thin tesserae, the so-called "crustae," and shaped with great precision to create a legible design as if it were a real stone painting. This technique was revived by the Medici of Florence in the 16th century, thanks to the establishment of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in 1588.The term "commesso" derives from the Latin word "committere" (to join), and the process of creating a piece of semi-precious stone commesso involved making a cartoon from an initial drawing, after which the marble dowels were cut with a wire and glued to a stone support and then polished.The altar found in the church of Santa Maria della Cella is an example of a Florentine semiprecious stone commesso artifact dating from the late 17th century. If you have not yet visited this church, I recommend that you do so, as this artifact is a true marvel.
