17th century Italian vase with a chesapecten shell & gold-plated crystal points.
This fragment is from a church in Florence. It was found and saved from the historic flooding of the Arno River in 1966.
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 chesapecten shell mimics the color and texture of the distressed wood fragment. The gold-plated crystal points are applied in the barnacles of the shell.
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: 12" high x 5.5" wide x 3.5" deep
