Past Exhibition: Johann Christian Neuber Gold, Jasper, and
Carnelian: Johann Christian Neuber at the Saxon Court Since
antiquity, gemstones (also known as hard or semiprecious stones)
have been cut and polished for use in jewelry, in the creation
of vases and cups, and in the decoration of palaces.
Rediscovered and developed in sixteenth-century Florence, pietra
dura (hard stone) objects were collected and sometimes used as
political propaganda among the Medici. A sign of wealth, taste,
and power, they were also offered as diplomatic gifts or
acquired by foreign sovereigns. In the following centuries, they
not only aroused admiration at major European courts but also
prompted artists to work with gemstones. In eighteenth-century
Saxony (part of Germany), the technique was revived again by
Johann Christian Neuber (1736–1808), one of Dresden's most
famous goldsmiths. Neuber specialized in creating small gold
boxes decorated with local stone, such as agate, jasper, and
carnelian, fashioning enchanting landscapes