HARD STONES :
Hard stones are semi-precious stones skilfully encrusted into marble. They can be found in Italy in the triumphant Renaissance city of Florence , as well as in India and particularly in the Mughal palaces and mausoleums. No king or potentate would be without them since, as an acknowledged symbol of power, and in particular, the power of money.
Keeping well away from the tourist manifestations of these "outward signs of wealth" that now take the most insignificant forms of little boxes and coasters, and souvenirs of the Taj Mahal, I always felt a certain sadness seeing so much skill and knowledge being expressed in such a decadent way. Having visited a number of monuments, I appreciated the paradoxical freshness of the chosen themes, flowers whose delicate botanical rigour revealed real complicity with nature, birds full of imagination, reliefs to which the wear of time suddenly restored the air of natural scenery, that led me further and further away from any ostentatious usage. (...) |
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