17th century Italian vase with a chesapecten shell, crystal point, and fossil shells on a petrified wood base.
This fragment is from a church in Florence. It was found and saved from the historic flooding of the Arno River in 1966. There is still the original paint and silt left on the piece to uphold the integrity, craftmanship, and history of sculptural fragment.
The chesapecten shell mimics the color and texture of the distressed wood fragment. The crystal point is in a matrix with a siliquaria cumingi shell. There are little white shells applied around the piece. It stands on a coordinating petrified wood base.
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 an Italian palazzo where they were collected, to the Interi studio, to now the modern home or gallery.
10.25" high x 4" wide x 3" wide
