18th century Italian 'Florence Fragment' base topped with a variety of fossil shells in matrix and mounted on a rock coral base.

This fragment is from a church in Florence. It was found and saved from the Florence Flood of 1966. The fragment still holds the original carvings and remnants of the flood. The coral alike has been preserved in its natural matrix coordinating a new life with the fragment.

The piece is put together by Jean O'Reilly Barlow, the artist and creative director of Interi. The date of manufacture reflects when she created the piece and the period shows that the fragment artifact is originally 18th century. 

The exhibition of the Florence Fragment Collection premiered with the Museo de’ Medici last fall. 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.

“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."

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 flood, to the Italian store house, collected by the Interi studio, shown in the museum, and now can be purchased for the modern home or gallery.

Size: 15.3" high x 7" wide x 6" deep