17th century Italian scroll fragment with fossil shells (ecphora) and mounted on a rock coral base.
This fragment is from a church in Florence. It was found and saved from the historic flooding of the Arno River in 1966. The rare fossil shells are called ecphora and they
are part of a group of extinct predatory marine gastropod mollusks. The shells mimic the shape and color of the historic fragment.
The piece has been naturally distressed from the flood. It has been preserved and transformed by Jean O'Reilly Barlow, the creative director of Interi. The fragment artifact is mounted onto the rock coral base and adorned with the fossil shells.
The story and history of this piece and Interi's collection of Florence fragments, in particular, are very interesting. These fragments have been used for artists and designers alike to copy for the distressed aesthetic, but here is an original. 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 an Italian palazzo where they were collected, to the Interi studio, to now the modern home or gallery.
Size: 8" high x 7" wide x 4.75" deep
