Table top with a coat of arms
Scagliola is an artificial marble made of plaster and ground marble. From the 17th century it was used in Italy to imitate pietra dura or inlay work in marble and other kinds of stone. Extremely subtle nuances of colour
could be achieved, as this table top demonstrates. The arms are those of the Amsterdam mayor, scholar
and art collector Nicolaas Witsen (1641–1717).