18th century Italian hand-carved and gilded crown adorned with rutile quartz crystals and baroque pearls. It is mounted on a coordinating gilded fragment with a metal crown base that is surrounded by larger pieces of rutile quartz crystals. This was originally from a historical Italian church. The distressed aspects of the crown are adorned with the rutile quartz crystals to look as though the piece evolved together over time.

This piece is part of the Crown Collection, which is exhibiting with the Museo de' Medici in Florence, Italy from May 16th until June 14th. 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.

This collection pays homage to the Medici dynasty - the powerful Italian banking family and political dynasty that rose to prominence in Florence during the Renaissance. They had significant influence for centuries, not only in Florence but also across Europe, through their wealth, political power, and patronage of the arts. They are a monumental reason the Renaissance flourished in Florence and can be thanked today for their contributions towards artists and the rich history of art we can appreciate today.

The crown has been preserved and transformed with the natural specimens to create a figurative, organic, and historical sculptural piece.