A CULTURAL, CELEBRATION BETWEEN THE SISTER CITIES OF INTARSIA IN SORRENTO AND NICE.

An exhibition recognising the two cities, boasting a secular tradition in the art of inlaid woodwork.

The exhibition “Inlaid woodworks: Sorrento/ Nice” will take place in Sorrento at the Museum Tarsialignea, from 16th June to 29th October.
On display, are inlaids form 1800s that were made in Sorrento and in the French city, of which both have a secular tradition in the craft of inlaid. The same exhibition will be held at the Musee Massena in Nice next year. The collection will be introduced by an exhibition of paintings, engravings, photographs and documents from Sorrento and Nice in 1800s to relay the environmental, economic and cultural background in which the inlaid works developed. The visitor will be able to admire a great deal of inlaid objects grouped in sections to compare the different techniques, the materials used, and the finer details showing the diverse samples patterns of Sorrento and Nice.

In Sorrento and Nice the art of inlaid woodworks, developed at the beginning of 19th century with a common matrix and finalized to the production of objects and pieces of furniture for refined and cultured tourists, as is explained by the curator of this programme, Alessandro Fiorentino. Both cities were popular visiting places of the Grand Tour of Europe of the aristocracy and international upper middle class.
As more people came from different nations across the world, inlaid artwork became more popular internationally and the market started to develop and more and more factories were opened. Tour guides representing this time period give information on the laboratories of Sorrento owned by Luigi Gargiulo and Michele Grandville, and those in Nice once owned by Claude Gimelle and Joseph Ciaudo. At one point these factories employed more than 40 people.