Interi Online

Miniatura Uno

2011-12-20T14:35:00.004-05:00

C22-

Description: 18th century carved Italian gold leaf bow fragment on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 3.5” high x 1.5” wide x 1.25” deep
Price: $99

C23-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 2.25” high x 3.25” wide x 1” deep
Price: $99

C11-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with Herkimer diamonds on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 3.25” high x 2” wide x 1” deep
Price: $99

Miniatura Due

2011-12-20T14:28:00.004-05:00

C25-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with tourmaline and green crystal points on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 3.5” high x 2.5” wide x 1.5” deep
Price: $120

C31-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with quartz crystal points on an Iceland spar base.Size: 5” high x 2.75” wide x 1” deep
Price: $120

{sold}

C28-

Description: 17th century Italian gold leaf flower fragment on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 5.5” high x 2” wide x 1.5” deep
Price: $120

Christmas Creations

2011-12-20T14:16:00.005-05:00

C14-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with tangerine crystal points and Herkimer diamonds on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 5.25” high x 3” wide x 2” deep
Price: $150

C17-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with Herkimer diamonds on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 6.25” high x 4” wide x 2” deep
Price: $150

C20-

Description: 17th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with Herkimer diamonds on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 4” high x 2.5” wide x 2” deep
Price: $150

C21-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with Herkimer diamonds on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 4.5” high x 3.75” wide x 2” deep
Price: $150

Season's Artifacts

2011-12-20T13:40:00.006-05:00

C2-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with rutilated quartz on a crystal quartz base.
Size: 5.75” high x 4” wide x 2” deep
Price: $180

C13-

Description: 17th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with rutilated quartz on a phantom quartz crystal base.
Size: 6.5” high x 3.5” wide x 2” deep
Price: $180

4A-

Description: 17th century Italian fragment decorated with an organic, natural forming pearl and coordinating shells on an optical calcite base
Size: 4” high x 3” wide
Price: $180

J-

Description: 17th century Spanish gold leaf fragment decorated with organic natural pearls and English gold metal castings on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 5.5” high x 3” wide x 2.5” deep
Price: $240

3A-

Description: 17th century Italian Mecca fragment decorated with an organic, natural forming pearl and coordinating shells on an optical calcite base.
Size: 8.5” wide x 7” high x 2.5” deep
Price: $300

C32-

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with quartz crystal points on an Iceland spar base.
Size: 12” high x 6” wide x 2.5” deep
Price: $600

November 2011

2011-11-26T14:23:00.011-05:00

B209-

Description: 17th century Spanish fragment decorated with natural forming organic pearls and English gold metal on an Iceland spar base
Size: 5.5” high x 3” wide x 2.5” deep
Price: $400
{sold}

B210-

Description: 17th century Spanish fragment decorated with natural forming organic pearls and English gold metal on an Iceland spar base
Size: 5.25” high x 4.5” wide x 2.5” deep
Price: $400
{sold}

B208-
Description: 17th century Spanish fragment decorated with natural forming organic pearls on an Iceland spar base
Size: 7.5” high x 5” wide x 2” deep
Price: $400
{sold}

B203-

Description: 17th century Spanish gold leaf fragment decorated with natural forming copper and pectin shells on a rare mookaite mineral base.
Size: 6.5” high x 7” wide x 6.5” deep
Price: $650
{sold}

B114-

Description: 17th century Italian (Venice) architectural fragment decorated with aqua marine in matrix crystal, chalcedonian rosettes, and natural forming pearls
Size: 7” high x 4” wide x 7” deep
Price: $599

{sold}

B92-

Description: 18th century Italian Mecca candlestick decorated with coordinating polished shells and certified organic, natural-forming pearls.

Size: 14" high x 4" round

Price: $550

{sold}

B75-

Description: 17th century Italian church vase decorated with fossil shells and barnacles on an agate base.

Size: 11" high x 6" wide x 3" deep

Price: $680

August Fragment Artifacts

2011-08-30T16:40:00.011-04:00

Size: 16" high x 5.5" wide x 5.5" deep
{sold}
Size: 12.5" high x 8.5" wide x 5.5" deep

{sold}
Description: Four 19th century French bases decorated with fossil shells, stibilite, Mediterranean polished coral with pink fossil shells, and antique handwritten writing paper.

Price: $460 per piece

{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian candlestick decorated with fossil shells on a rough and polished agate base.
Size: 22" high x 9" wide x 4" deep
Price: $655
{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian candlestick decorated with fossil agate coral on an agate base.
Size: 23" high x 9" wide x 4.5" deep
Price: $700

{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian fragment (Venice) decorated with fossil oyster shells, natural forming pearls, and mineral Sphalerite.
Size: 9" high x 8" wide x 5" deep
Price: $460
{sold}

Description: Pair of Italian fossil bases decorated with fossil agate coral and fossil shells.
Size: 10" high x 4.5" round
Price: $390 each
{sold}

Description: 18th century Italian painted Ventian column base decorated with polished fossil agate coral, chalcedonian rosettes, and fossil shells.
Size: 11" high x 4.5" wide
Price: $490

{sold}

Description: 17th century architectural fragment (Florence) decorated with a fossil oyster shell and a phantom crystal point.
Size: 11" high x 5.5" wide x 9" deep
Price: $399

At the New York Gift Fair

2011-08-12T22:15:00.014-04:00

Description: Chesapecten shell formation (12 million years old) decorated with 17th century Italian church sunrays on an Italian altar stand.

Size: 24" high x 18.5" wide x 5" deep

Price: $950

{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian candlestick holder decorated with fossil shells and citrine crystals.

Size: 26" high x 14" wide x 8" deep

Price: $860

{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian church vase (Florence) decorated with fossil shells in matrix.

Size: 19" high x 7" square

Price: $780
{sold}

Description: 17th century century Italian distressed painted altar base decorated with fossil shells, Chesapecten shell formation (12 million years old), on a petrified wood base.

Size: 18" high x 12" wide x 6" deep

Price: $1,100

Description: 17th century Italian scroll fragment (Florence) decorated with fossil shells on a polished fossil agate base.

Size: 18.5" high x 9.5" wide x 5" deep
Price: $590
{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian scroll fragment (Venice) decorated with a crystal formation in a fossil oyster shell and chlorite on a chrysocolla malachite mineral base decorated with coordinating fossil shells.
Size: 12" high x 10" wide x 7" deep
Price: $650

Description: 18th century Italian church sunray decorated with rutilated quartz and tangerine quartz crystal points on a polished fossil agate base.
Size: 18" high x 7.5" wide x 3" deep
Price: $600

{sold}

Italian Mirror

2011-05-17T21:24:00.006-04:00

This mirror is decorated with an Italian 17th century paper and gold leaf decoration that has been taken off of walls from an important villa near Venice. This decoration has been applied to a cut-out wood frame painted to coordinate with a floating antique mirror.

Size is 27” x 27”

Price is $2,200.

Aubosson Cartoon Mirrors

2011-05-17T21:19:00.005-04:00

Mirrors made from Aubusson cartoon boarders come in a range of styles and sizes. Custom orders are available. Made from an exact copy of an 18th century Aubusson tapestry cartoon boarder. Tapestry cartoons are the life size models from which tapestries are woven, painted in oil on canvas or gouache on paper. The boarders are interchanged depending on the scene for which the tapestry pattern was chosen.
Interi bought all remaining Aubusson boarders and now owns over a thousand boarders of which we sell either as originals or reproductions of the originals. These are stretched onto 18th and 19th century floorboards and finished with antique distressed mirror. Mirror glass can be ordered in various choices of distressing. Prices available on request.

Size: 37 1/2" x 41"

Size: 37 1/2" x 70"

Fragment Mirror

2011-05-17T20:25:00.014-04:00

Description: Interi fragment mirror made with 18th century Italian fragments. The base has applied gesso de bologna and organic limestone to make up the plaster base. The plaster fragments are hand cast from 18th century molds. The mirror is antique.

Size: 40" wide x 42" high

Price is $2,800

April Decorated Fragment Artifacts

2011-04-26T17:42:00.014-04:00

Description: 17th century gold leaf distressed Spanish church fragment decorated with a fossil shells, barnacles, and pink phantom quartz crystals
Size: 7.5” wide x 7.5” high x 7” deep
Price: $780

Description: 17th century gold leaf distressed Spanish church fragment decorated with coordinating fossil agate coral and rare ecphora shells
Size: 7” wide x 7.5” high x 7.5” deep
Price: $780
{sold}

A745-
Description: 17th century Italian candlestick decorated with fossil shells, candle quartz, and horn coral on a crystal base
Size: 9” high x 8” wide x 5” deep
Price: $850

Description: 17th century Italian church vase (Florence) decorated with a fossil shell on a rock coral base
Size: 14” high x 3.5” wide x 3” deep
Price: $650
{sold}

A746-
Description: 17th century Italian candlestick decorated with celestite (Spain) and quartz graphite on a geode
Size: 12.5” high x 3” round
Price: $590

Description: 18th century important Italian helmet on a mica mineral and gold leaf base.
Size: 29” tall x 16” wide x 9.5” deep
Price: $1,200

Description: 17th century Italian church vase decorated with smokey quartz crystals with chlorite
Size: 9.5” high x 2.75” square
Price: $495

{sold}

Description: 18th century Italian Mecca cross on a 25 lb tangerine quartz crystal base decorated with mica
Size: 31” high x 16.5” wide x 12” deep
Price: $1,200

{sold}

April 2011

2011-04-23T23:04:00.020-04:00

Description: 17th century Italian candlestick Florence decorated with crystals on calcite. Fossil shells and plaster fragments on a geode and wood base.
Size: 18” tall x 5” round
Price: $800
{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian candlestick decorated with a natural sponge, rare omen shells and a carrier shell xenophora with a calcite crystal matrix. on a petrified wood base.
Size: 27” high x 4” x 4”
Price: $900
{sold}

Description: Pair of 17th century Italian church sunrays decorated with rutilated quartz crystal points and fluorite okoruso on agate bases.
Size: 10.5” tall x 9” wide x 3.5” deep
Price: $1,200
{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian candlestick Florence. Decorated with celestine fluorite (AMT American Mineral Treasures) on a agate and wood base.
Size: 13” tall x 3” x 3”
Price: $600

Description: 17th century Italian altar stand (Florence) decorated with polished fossil agate coral Size: 10” high x 9” deep x 9” wide
Price: $650

Description: 17th century Italian fragment decorated with danburite and fossil shells.
Size: 7” high by 8” wide and 3” deep
Price: $399
{sold}

Description: 18th century Italian church vase decorated with polished fossil agate coral and polished ammonite with fossil shells on an agate base.
Size: 11” high by 5” wide by 3” deep
Price: $475
{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian pyramid Fragment decorated with opalized fossil tree oyster shell and tangerine quartz and opal base.
Size: 12” high x 3” x 3”
Price: $780

{sold}

Description: 17th century Italian scroll fragment decorated with coral and fossil shells
Size: 9.5” high x 5” wide x 3” deep
Price: $600

{sold}

18th Century Italian Chandeliers

2011-02-24T20:23:00.009-05:00

*Additional images and prices available on request*

CHANDELIER H

A prestigious, large Italian 18th century chandelier with eight scrolling iron arms and extending metal flowering branches. The central gilt wood base is edged with tole foliage and decorated with crystal flowers.
Provenance:
A family chapel in Venice, Italy.
Dimensions:
35” high x 51” wide

CHANDELIER O

A pair of Italian 18th century, gold leaf chandeliers with six hand-forged iron arms with crystal foliage decoration with a hand-carved central gilt wood stalk.

Provenance:

Genoa, Northern Italy.
Dimensions:
49” high x 36” wide

{sold}

CHANDELIER N

18th century Italian chandelier elaborately decorated with a gold leaf hand-carved eagle's nesting on the undercarrage of the base and scrolling, flowering branches decorated with hand-carved, gold leaf acorns.

Provenance:

A large castello (castle) in Tuscany, northern Italy.

Dimensions:

52” high x 37” wide

{sold}

CHANDELIER C

Painted silver 18th century Italian chandelier with a painted silver stalk, (an unusual example of Italian iron work) wrought with scrolls and tole leaves, crystal flower crown, and a crystal flower blanket.
Provenance:

A castle near Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Dimensions:

46" high x 72" wide

CHANDELIER B
Painted early 19th century chandelier. Neutral tones of distressed amer, beige and grey; highlighted with gold detail. Having six large iron arms with additional flowering branches and coordinating original gilt-trimmed bouveche and decorated with patinas (drip pan trays for candles).

Provenance:

A hotel in Florence
Dimensions:

40" high x 48" wide

CHANDELIER A

Black and gold Chandelier with carved black and gilt wood having eight large iron arms, flowering acanthus branches, and tole bobeches.
Provenance:
From the hall of a noble home near Genova, Northern Italy. Louis XVI period.
Dimensions:
40” high x 60” in diameter

17th and 18th Century Italian Church Tassels

2011-02-08T20:38:00.012-05:00

by Ben Katchor

Italian 18th century tassels and pompoms used as decoration for chandeliers and artifacts in their own right.

(Prices and sizes available on request. Reproductions of these above original tassels are available at blissstudios.com.)

Selection of 18th century Italian gold leaf "pompoms" that all need tassels applied to the pins. Various selections of tassels available.

18th century Italian church "pompom" with tassels.

Size: 15" high

Price: Available on request.

18th century Italian gold leaf church tassels.

Size: 6" long (including the 1" metal hook)

Price: $40 per tassel

18th century Italian silver leaf tassels.

Size: 6" long (including the 1" metal hook)

Price: $40 per tassel

18th century gold leaf carved Italian tassels.

Size: 5.5" long (including the 0.5" metal hook)

Price: $50 per tassel

18th century silver leaf carved Italian tassels.

Size: 6" long (including 1" metal hook)

Price: $40 per tassel

18th century gold leaf carved Italian tassels.

Size: 6" (including 0.5" metal hook)

Price: $50 per tassel

*Also available in 8" (including 1" metal hook) for $70 per tassel*

18th century gold leaf Italian tassels.

Sizes:

Smaller- 7" (including the 1" metal hook)

Larger- 8.25" (including the 1" metal hook)

Prices:

Smaller- $50 per tassel

Larger- $70 per tassel

Various tassels decorated with crystals and shells on fossil coral and optical calcite bases.

Sizes: Approximately 12" high

Prices: Range from $150-$180 per piece

18th century Italian gold leaf tassels decorated with rare pink and purple coral on chalcopyrite mineral bases.

Size: Approximately 12" high

Price: $180 per piece

17th century gold leaf carved Italian tassel decorated with white fossil shells on an 18th century Italian candlestick base.

Size: 12" high

Price: $180

17th century gold leaf carved Italian tassel.

Size: 9" long (including the 0.5" metal hook)

Price: $80 per tassel

17th century gold leaf carved Italian tassel.

Size: 11" long (including the 0.5" metal hook)

Price: $100 per tassel

18th century Italian chandelier.

Tassels used in decorating.

Interi has the largest selection of 17th and 18th century Italian church tassels available. These are church artifacts used for decorated the churches on religious feast days. There is a limited stock available per style. More variations are available on request.

Interi Artifacts

2010-12-25T21:23:00.009-05:00

Wood and gilt fragments come from Italian churches. These pieces have gone beyond restoration and are released and let go from church property. Beautiful carved pieces hving many hands, translated by many hours of work, going into decoration for articles of worship. Then they are decorated with precious gems like tourmaline, aquamarine, and rutliated quartz, just to mention a few. They are usually still in their matrix or raw form as they come from the earth. Shells are usually fossilized, not coming from the sea but from archaelogical digs of pre-ice age resulting in a combination of the rare and beautiful. Both materials blend together as though they were always one piece.

Description: 17th century Italian gold leaf fragment decorated with coordinating polished fossil coral agate
Size: 11” high x 8.5” wide x 4” deep
Price: $455

(SOLD)

Description: Pair of Italian 18th century gold leaf flowers decorated with hemimorphite crystallized flowers on a selignite and crystal agate base
Size: 10” high x 5” wide x 3” deep
Price: $520 for the pair

(SOLD)

Description: 18th century Italian grape and leaf fragment decorated with fossil shells on a selignite base
Size: 6” high x 5” wide x 2” deep
Price: $156

(SOLD)

Description: 17th century Italian gold leaf flower fragment decorated with fossil shells on a selignite base
Size: 6” high x 5” wide x 2.5” deep
Price: $156

(SOLD)

Interi Cross Artifacts

2010-12-25T21:07:00.005-05:00

Description: 18th century painted Venetian cross decorated with blue/green apatite on a peninsula jasper base with chalcedonian rosettes
Size: 26” high x 14” wide x 6” deep
Price: $650

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf cross with original decorative painted base on a coordinating fossil agate base decorated with chalcedonian
Size: 14.5” high x 7” wide x 6” deep
Price: $390
(SOLD)

Description: 18th century Italian gold leaf cross (Venice) on a pyrite with matrix base
Size: 13” high x 7.5” wide x 2.25” deep
Price: $520 (SOLD)

Interi for Tritter Feefer at High Point Mart, October 16th-21st at Building IHFC, Space number IH308 InterHall

2010-10-16T23:17:00.003-04:00

Description: 17th century Italian (Venice) on a gold leaf church base decorated with crystal geode and tangerine quartz crystal points
Size: 10” high x 4” wide x 3” high
Price: $900 for the pair

(SOLD)

Interi for Tritter Feefer at High Point

2010-10-16T23:15:00.006-04:00

Made from 18th century Italian wood fragments, the base frame has applied Gesso de Bologna and organic limestone that composes the plaster base. The plaster fragments are hand cast from original 18th century European molds. The mirror is genuine antique mirror.

Size: 63” x 35”.

Price: $2,600.

Interi at Fiere di Parma

2010-10-16T22:57:00.006-04:00

Available Interi Decorated Fragments

2010-09-04T22:37:00.010-04:00

Description: 17th century Italian church urns decorated with an elestial crystal points and rare ecphora shells on a petrified wood base
Size: 9.5” high x 3.5” round
Price: $520

Description: 17th century Italian church plaque on a fossil coral agate base decorated with 17th century Italian fragments
Size: 22” high x 11” wide x 7” deep
Price: $650
(SOLD)

Description: 17th century Italian sunray decorated with aqua marine points and smoky crystal with chlorite on an aqua marine base
Size: 28” high x 4” wide x 3” deep
Price: $390
(SOLD)

Description: 17th century Italian church vase on an aqua marine base decorated with aqua marine points in crystal matrix
Size: 14” high x 6.5” wide x 5.5” deep
Price: $650
(SOLD)

Description: 17th century Italian tabernacle door decorated with coordinating fossil shells and herkimer diamonds
Size: 21” long x 14.5” wide x 1.5” deep
Price: $650

(SOLD)

Description: 19th century Italian fragment decorated with fossil shells and quartz graphite on a crystal base
Size: 13” high x 9” wide x 4” deep
Price: $390

(SOLD)

Description: 18th century Italian candle base decorated with white fossil shells and tangerine quartz crystal
Size: 7.5” high x 4.5” round
Price: $260 each

Description: Pair of plaster bases decorated with fossil shells and agate coral
Size: Will supply if you are interested
Price: $390 for the pair or can be bought separately

(SOLD)

At the Markets in Italy

2010-09-04T22:25:00.004-04:00

Shopping at the Italian Markets:

Lucca Market

Arezzo Market

Padova, Venice Market

Purchases:

Large candlestick base

Italian urn

Large fragments

The Last Supper

Interi Reproductions for Bliss

2010-08-14T15:25:00.009-04:00

Available at the New York International Gift Fair, Pier 94, Booth 40013.

Contact Information-
Website:
www.blissstudio.com
Phone:
7145407140
Fax:
7145457140

3080 Airway Avenue
Suite CCosta Mesa, CA 92626

18th century Italian style base with a coordinating fossil agate coral. Sizes of fossil agate coral may vary.
Size: 14" high x 8" wide x 8" deep
Price: $150

18th century Italian style base decorated with a sea urchin and elestial crystal.
Size: 9" high x 8" wide x 8" deep
Price: $100

Pair of 18th century Italian style vases decorated with polished fossil agate coral and coordinating shells. Sizes of fossil coral may vary.
Size: 4" high x 6" wide x 6" deep
Price: $80 a piece, $160 for the pair

18th century Italian style vase decorated with a clam shell, polished fossil agate coral, and fossil shells.
Size: 15" high x 7.5" round
Price: $95

18th century Italian style church vase decorated with ATM mineral, bacculite, orange calcite (from the American Mineral Treasure site 32), and micha.
Size: 8" high x 4" round
Price: $70

(front)

(back)

18th century style Italian church vase decorated with an opalized fossil ammonite and citrine crystal points.
Size: 12" high x 4" round
Price: $130

18th century Italian style base decorated with a coordinating fossil ammonite and shell.

Size: 12" high x 5.5" round

Price: $110

Interi Showings

2010-07-04T12:09:00.013-04:00

Interi will be showing at Scotts Antique Market for The Silk Purse on July 8th-11th at space A4, 118-121.

Description: 18th century Spanish fragment decorated with coordinating pectin shells and coral on a brecciated mookaite base.
Size: 12" high x 8" wide x 6" deep
Price: $520
SOLD

Interi will also be showing at the Atlanta Merchandising Mart for Tritter Feefer on July 14th-21st on the 14th floor, F9.

Description: 18th century Spanish fragment decorated with coordinating shells and coral on a brecciated mookaite base.

Size: 10" high x 7" wide x 5" deep

Price: $455

Interi Reproductions with individual organic embellishment showing at Bliss Studios at the Atlanta Merchandising Mart on July 14th-21st on the 9th floor, A14.

Large Interi Fragments on Optical Calcite for Sale

2010-07-04T11:41:00.007-04:00

Description: 18th century Italian fragment decorated with selenite and coordinating gold leaf fragments on an optical calcite base.
Size: 19" high x 8" wide x 3" deep
Price: $585
(SOLD)

Description: 18th century Italian fragment decorated with selenite, tangerine quartz crytal, orange river quartz, and rutilated quartz on an optical calcite base.
Size: 15" high x 9.5" wide x 3" deep
Price: $650
(SOLD)

Description: Pair of 18th century Italian scroll fragments decorated with fluorescent chalcedonian on an optical calcite base.

Size: 9.5" high x 6.5" wide x 5.5" deep

Price: $1,300 for the pair

(SOLD)

Description: 18th century Italian fragment decorated with quartz crystal points and fossil shells on an optical calcite base.

Size: 20" high x 14" wide x 3" deep

Price: $780

(SOLD)

18th Century Italian Fragments on Optical Calcite for Sale

2010-07-03T23:09:00.004-04:00

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

17th Century Italian Fragments on Iceland Spar for Sale

2010-06-29T22:52:00.007-04:00

17th century Italian fragments decorated with herkimer diamonds on an iceland spar base.
Size: 6"-9" high
SOLD

SOLD

Iceland Spar is a very soft gemstone, usually transparent to opaque. It displays beautiful bright colors when exposed to UV light. Iceland spar has double refraction, meaning that when rays of light enter the stone, it is split, creating fast and slow beams of light. This causes a rainbow effect.

SOLD

The Vikings used this light-polarizing property of Iceland spar, which they called sunstone, to tell the direction of the sun on cloudy days, for navigational purposes.

SOLD

Herkimer Diamond is the name given to the double terminated quartz crystal found in Herkimer Country, NY and surrounding areas. They have double termination, meaning that they have a point at each end. The Herkimer diamonds have 18 facets (six sides). Such doubly terminated crystals are very rare. They are known for their extreme clarity. This is all part of what make Herkimer diamonds so popular with collectors.

SOLD

Decorated with fossil shells.

SOLD

Geologists theorize that they formed extremely slowly in small solution cavities or “vugs”. Research is ongoing to help understand how Herkimer diamonds, in their wide variety of habits, were formed.

Price: $130-$170
SOLD

SOLD

Decorated with fossil shells and herkimer diamonds.

Chalcedonian and Clam Shell Urns for Sale

2010-06-29T22:07:00.012-04:00

Interi Italian inspired urns decorated with fossil clam shells, chalcedonian rosettes, and natural pearls.
13"-15" high

SOLD

Fossil Clam Shells

A small find of these fossil clam shells was discovered in 2002 during an excavation for a civil engineering project. A fascinating specimen formed when “gemmy” calcite crystals grew in the natural pockets created by buried fossil clamshells. The interior of the shells now contain fine golden crystals of calcite.

Chalcedonian rosettes

Chalcedony is named after the ancient seaport of Chalcedon. The crystal aggregates consist of spherical rosettes with jutting pointed crystals. It is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of the minerals quartz and moganite. Chalcedonian rosettes are rare, and information alone is hard to come by.

Price: $260 per piece

SOLD

Profile

2010-06-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

Jean Barlow is the owner of Interi, a company that specializes in furniture and decorative objects from the 16th century to present. She currently lives in America and commutes between the US and Europe. She was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She reached an international status as Ireland’s first super model on the European circuit during the 80s- the face that launched a thousand front covers. Jean worked for Miss Sybil Connelly of Tiffany and Brunswick Fame. She worked in fashion promotion and fashion journalism in Ireland and in England working with magazines and the television media. Worked for IT, the first book bound fashion magazine in Ireland launched in 1980. She was a frequent guest speaker on both Irish and English T.V. networks discussing the fashion industry and related topics. Jean subsequently worked with Sotheby’s, the auction house.

Modeling in London for fashion designer Bruce Oatfield.

With my old friend, international designer John Rocha.

Paris season.

Modeling for Kenzo.

Interi is grand, yet informal with an evocative historical air with a passion for bold and vivid design and decoration, and the ability to interpret the past and to create something entirely original.
Interi uses tapestry cartoons, painting from which tapestries are woven, to make mirrors, curtain pelmets, picture frames, and architectural details. Combing 17th and 18th century Aubusson tapestry fragments with blends of fine Donegal tweeds made of cashmere and wool for cushions and ottomans.

Framing Aubusson tapestries using print room sheets similar to the prints in Castletown House, Ireland.
Creating wallpaper panels form 19th century wallpaper fragments with plaster moldings from historic Irish houses. These are used as both architectural and decorating details for interiors large and small.
Making Japanned hand lacquered fragments to reverse glass painted framing projects.
Collecting from 16th century Italian churches contends to create wall sconces and lighting fixtures. Urns and wood fragments are decorated with fossils and rare coral. Guilded wood tassels on cut out copper planters.
Ebonizing brown furniture and gilding the details using antique skins to Sabina Fay Braxton’s grufrage metallic velvets.
Collecting the bizarre and unusual creating for the collector to the contemporary- that is Interi.
Most sought after are fragment creations receiving their name from their Italian sources. Dealers and restorers ask what I do with fragmented wood artifacts. As my Italian is not fluent, it was easier to show a photo and then hence became known as fragment creations.
Wood and guilt coming form churches. Pieces have gone beyond restoration and are released and let go from church property. Beautiful carved pieces having many hands translated many hours of working going into decoration for articles of worship. On arrival to me they undergo the freezer to kill any wood worm. Then they are decorated with precious gems like tourmaline, aquamarine, and rutilated quartz, but to mention a few. They are usual still in their matrix form as they come from the earth. Shells are usually fossil in form, not coming form the sea but form archeology digs of pre ice age resulting in a combination of the rare and beautiful. Both materials blend together as though they were always one piece.
Interi also carries artist Filippo Gheradi. Gheradi says, “Some forms last in the course of time, meaning that some antique manufacts that have been taken away from their context change their significance- their combination in different ways can result as something new, it brings into existence contemporary works.” His work compliments fragment creations. It is enthusiastic and leads him to accumulate whatever antique material. Ancient elements, fragmented objects fallen into disuse, golden carves, and broken sculptures, united with natural elements like inanimate woods brought in from the sea to the beaches are the essence of his art “reviving.”
Fragment creations are well sought after. All are one of a kind piece. Each has a life of its own. I never know how it will evolve or how long it will take to make each piece. My ability comes from the creator to quote his Word in Psalm 91:17, “The beauty of the Lord is upon me to establish the work of my hands.”

My girls and I in Florence, Italy.

My girls and I in Genoa, Italy.

Interi Fragment Creations

2010-06-20T22:49:00.001-04:00

Fragments

I began buying fragments after I had purchased the best of 17th century Georgian furniture, mirrors, decorative objects, china, etc. Being an avid collector, one’s interest diminishes when I had hunted down, purchased either for myself or a client, chinoisiere, the best Chinese export, and all but the least antique shell boxes. Fragments are pieces of artifacts from once beautiful treasures collected by the upper class for the commission of priceless works of art that adorn churches throughout Europe. As the Italians would say, many hands go into each piece, meaning many layers of application by hand i.e. gesso bole (under color) to gold leaf. Usually a fragment has gone past decoration but because of its age and intricate carvings, it is still a work of art in its own right. The fragment became the pursuit of interest to me as they are not plentiful. One cannot buy fragments at random. The collecting began as I was living in the USA. My fragment purchasing first began in Ireland as I gathered pieces from restorers and also when I acquired pieces of furniture. My first important purchase was in Paris when I bought a box of seven beautiful mirror pediments for 500 euros. These ornate broken pieces of history are not cheap. Just because they are broken or have been in misuse, does not diminish the many hands or layers that once went into the complete piece. One does not have to have a trained eye to know a hand carved piece of wood with often five to seven layers of gesso. Each layer, sanded before the next application, has an undercoat of bole and the finished gilding process is a piece in its own right. In Ireland, my country of birth, I had already established contacts, so fragment acquiring was of word of mouth and more easily accessible.

Buying fragments at the villa in Padova, Italy.

My love was, and still is, Italy as these pieces are usually church artifacts. Any handwork offered for worship was in itself the best of craftsmanship- hours of labor resulting in the most beautiful objects for the service of worship. These pieces had gone beyond restoration because of age, but they were not allowed to be discarded. Hence, when they came to me I realized how special their journey had been on arrival to my hands.

Florence

The decorative market was calling for the organic appeal of shells, corals, crystals, and geodes. My fragments were beyond the application of an easily accessible polished Philippine shell. Hence, the further hunting of the bazaar and the usual became the pursuit- the fossil which had to be excavated from beneath the earth’s surface, the shells that didn’t come from the ocean but from deep within the earth’s surface. The root to acquiring these shell and fossil specimens started in Tuscany, Northern Italy, where I obtained my first estate shell collection at the famous Parma Antique fair held twice a year, which led to the continuing of purchasing the rare via the internet, throughout Europe, and traveling to the largest gem and mineral fairs throughout the USA. My special sources were not at these venues, but people who I have found who have collected and are an authority on fossils and minerals, delving into their secret sash of materials being able to purchase from their years of collecting. A shell/mineral collector will only want to keep for himself the best, but very often he has got to acquire many pieces just to get the number one quality. They keep the best, and I obtain the pieces that are not museum quality. Therefore, I have been the fortunate receiver of their years of collecting.

17th century Italian corona mounted onto a rock coral base decorated with chalcedony rosettes (front) / decorated with fossil shells and blue chalcedonian (back)
Size: 10.5” high x 10” wide x 6.5” deep
SOLD

17th century Italian base (Florence) decorated with a phantom crystal point, polished agate coral, fossil shells, and fossil ammonites on a rock coral base
Size: 16" high x 8" wide x 7" deep
SOLD

17th century Italian candlestick on a rubellite and lepidolite mineral decorated with coordinating pink and purple coral shells and amethyst points
Size: 10” wide x 17” high x 5.5” deep

My starting off place is the wood fragment. Layers of faded paint from natural pigments called for more colorful and different textures that have to accessorize exactly with shells and minerals to make the finished piece appear that both have evolved together over time. The gem and mineral world opened up to me. I found a new appreciation for a substance that came from completely natural resources. Hence, I was now hunting not only in Europe but at the rock and mineral shells and shows. Living in South Carolina, I had the best of choice in my next state, North Carolina, deep in the Smokey Mountains where it is known for its mining and two of the largest mineral fairs held twice a year. Sourcing and finding minerals opened a different and refreshing avenue for me. Arriving deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains in July, a physiographic province of the larger Appalachia Mountains range, to find oil drums of emeralds in their matrix (as they came from the earth) spilled out on the side of the road. This was another world. I started combining my fragments, the fossil shells, and now the minerals, to my realm of embellishment.

17th century Italian candlesticks (Florence) decorated with a tourmaline point in quartz crystal, chalcedonian rosettes, tourmaline in quartz matrix, and smoky quartz with chlorite
Size: 19.5” high x 8.5” wide x 8/5” deep
Price: $1200
SOLD

17th century Italian urn (papier mache) decorated with coordinating church tassels on an aquamarine and tourmaline base in a calcite and mica matrix
Size: 12” high x 8” wide x 8” deep
Price: $650
SOLD

Marrying the two, technically, began with Bud and I. Bud has since passed away, but a tribute is due. Like myself, untrained but gifted with an ability to create, I needed help getting a shell, coral, or mineral to stay attached to a 400 year old piece of wood. We went beyond the rules of technique. I would ask him to make a mineral look like a flame of fire perched on top of a 400 year old candlestick. Defying gravity became the challenge for him, and he would leave me at noon each day to return the next having spent many hours working on the illusion. He bore holes, we poured hardener, we creating splints, and claws for gemstones- never did any project every fail to be executed as the original conceived idea. We became excited at the challenge of going beyond the natural limitations to create the spectacular.

Then I met my friend John, who introduced me to polished fossil agate coral. Appreciating the time and work it takes to excavate what would appear as a lump of dirty old coral from the sea bed, he knows what is inside and opens up the treasures of darkness and riches stored in secret places. He then polishes this organic dead sea creature, leaving the natural but beautifying each piece to ordain any piece of furniture or decorative room setting. Polished fossil agate corals loves wood fragments, especially those that have been washed by the flood water of Florence in the 1960s.

Agatized coral is a special type of fossil called a pseudomorph, meaning the coral's calcium-based skeleton has been replaced with another mineral (chalcedony) while preserving the coral's original exterior shape. Chalcedony is a semi-precious mineral, quartz. The process of replacing coral with quartz obviously did not happen overnight, but began millions of years ago when Florida was covered by a great ocean. Coral is dependent on sunlight for life, and coral reefs found a bountiful setting on the shallow shelf that would one day become Florida. Over time, corals would die and become covered by fine sediments carried via wave action and natural processes. These fine sediments effectively entombed the coral skeletons in cold, salty-wet darkness. As the water's solubility feathered to and fro, it precipitated layer after layer of chalcedony in a tightly and uniformly packed crystal. Each band of agate marks a change in the cocktail of minerals that were precipitated out of the water. So each band marks another "season" in the crystal, just like the rings of a tree. Of course, this all carried out at a snail's pace, describable only in geologic terms. This process of "agatization" left behind large deposits of chalcedony pseudomorphs buried in a matrix of hard chert (Florida's flint) and limestone. The corals would have remained sealed there, subterraneously, for eternity, were it not for Florida's repeated glaciations. Changing temperatures, glaciers, rivers, hurricanes, storms, as well as man-made earth moving events have all played a role in exhuming these semi-precious anomalies of water and time.

Chandeliers

2009-12-30T09:40:00.001-05:00

17th and 18th century Italian chandeliers come from the private interiors of town houses and Palazzi. Because of age, sometimes minimum restoration is necessary. They are not electrified. Any replacement metal or hardware has been hand forged and copied in the same method as the original using the same tools and firing as the original, hundreds of years ago.

A pair of painted early 19th century chandeliers. Neutral tones of distressed amer, beige and grey; highlighted with gold detail. Having six large iron arms with additional flowering branches and coordinating original gilt-trimmed bouveche and decorated with patinas (drip pan trays for candles).
Provenance: A hotel in Florence
Dimensions: 40" hgih x 48" wide
Price: $6,400 for a single, $12,000 for the pair