17th century Italian hand-carved and gilded crown adorned with natural-forming baroque pearls and cross-shaped baroque pearls with smoky quartz crystal points. It is mounted on a coordinating smoky quartz crystal base. The smoky quartz crystal specimen has a large crystal point that sits in the natural crystal formation. Each individual baroque pearl emulates the color of the artifact and surrounds the rim of the crown and cross finial. This was original from a historical Italian church and would have been a part of a depiction of Mary or a saint. The piece creates a figurative, organic, and historic work of art.

This piece is part of The Crown Collection, which is exhibiting with the Museo de' Medici in Florence, Italy from May 27th until June 28th. The collection is displaying in Museo de' Medici’s Cappella dei Nobili in the former monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The event will coincide with the museum’s reopening of the chapel. The Cappella dei Nobili was built in the 14th century and was originally created as an elegant devotional space for the monastic community. All of the elements of the chapel converged to create one of the most exquisite expressions of Florentine late Gothic art and 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.