Stanza della Segnatura, Raffaello

In this rare piece, the entire cup of a sardonyx shell has been engraved using iron tips. It took Fabio Ottaviano and his father Pasquale about 5 years to complete the artwork. The bas-relief decoration is inspired by Raphael’s Stanza della Segnatura in Vatican City, and volume has been given to the frescoes by playing with the colours of the shell.