Pair of Florence fragments with calcite crystals and quartz crystals in matrix and adorned with coordinating fossil shells.

These fragments are from a church in Florence. They were found and saved from the historic flooding of the Arno River in 1966. These pieces have been naturally distressed from the flood. The silt from the flood is still on the pair. The calcite crystal clusters are mounted on top of the pair of artifacts and the fossil shells are applied to look as though the pieces evolved together over time.

The Florence Fragment Collection exhibited with the Museo de’ Medici this autumn. The Museo de' Medici or “the Medici Museum” is located in the monumental Rotonda Brunelleschi which was designed in 1432 and built by Filippo Brunelleschi, a famous Italian architect who also built the Florence dome. He is also considered a founding father of Renaissance architecture. The Museo de’ Medici is devoted to preserving the history of the Medici family and exhibiting precious collections of works of art, historical relics, original documents, faithful reconstructions and multimedia installations.

“I am honored to present this collection with the Museo de’ Medici with the city where the pieces found their origin and precious history,” says Jean O'Reilly Barlow, the artist and founder of Interi. “This collection is to honor the history of Florence and to show the beauty and resilience the city holds. It is the birthplace of the renaissance and this collection pays tribute to the rebirth after the flood.” 

The story and history of this pair and Interi's collection of Florence fragments, in particular, are very interesting. While many fragments are distressed due to age, these Florence fragments in particular stand apart. They symbolize a history that has been carried through the flood, to the Italian store house, collected by the Interi studio, shown in the museum, and now can be purchased for the modern home or gallery.

Size: 10" high x 4" round