18th century Italian "Florence Fragment" angel wing mounted on aragonite and adorned with mica. The aragonite crystal specimen is from Morocco and emulates a cloud. The mica pieces adorning the wing mirror the color, texture and shape of the fragment artifact. Small pieces of mica also decorate the wing to create a glimmer and druzy effect.
This fragment is from a church in Florence. It was found and saved from the historic flooding of the Arno River in 1966. This piece pays homage to the "mud angels" who were famous international volunteers (mainly American study abroad students) who united together to help save the city of Florence during the time of the flood and recover priceless works of art and historical manuscripts and rare books.
The Florence Fragment Collection is exhibiting with the Museo de’ Medici this autumn. The Museo de' Medici or “the Medici Museum” is located in the complex of Santa Maria degli Angeli and 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 piece 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 streets of Italy, to the Italian store house where they were collected, to the Interi studio, to now the modern home or gallery.
Size: 8" high x 5" wide x 4.75" deep
