The koi carp is one of the most powerful symbols in Eastern culture, representing perseverance, transformation, and personal growth. According to an ancient Chinese legend, a determined carp swam upstream along the Yangtze River—China's longest river and a timeless symbol of life, strength, and renewal—until it reached the Dragon Gate waterfall. Moved by its courage, the gods transformed it into a majestic dragon, making it a symbol of strength, wisdom, and the ability to achieve greatness through resilience. This legendary journey is the inspiration behind The Soul of Yangtze, celebrating the enduring spirit of courage and transformation.

Traditionally regarded as a lucky charm, the carp also symbolizes longevity, prosperity, and protection. Celebrated for its remarkable lifespan and strength, it is often featured in art, architecture, and greetings as a sign of good fortune. In both Chinese and Japanese traditions, koi are admired for their beauty and vitality, with their colorful varieties being carefully bred over centuries.

Among the different varieties, the pink koi represents love, compassion, emotional balance, and inner strength. It embodies the journey of personal transformation, encouraging perseverance in the face of challenges while inspiring growth, resilience, and the pursuit of one's highest potential.

Stones used: Larimar, Labradorite, Rhodocrosite, Turquoise. 

For this masterpiece of Commesso Fiorentino, the artist chose to use the highest-quality Larimar to best reproduce the intensity of the blue, eliminating any green hues or black spots. It's important to note that each piece is composed of a single slice, joined to another slice only at the narrowest points. This careful selection is the result of cutting approximately 200 kg of semi-rough material, previously selected for size and purity.

Rare multicolored Labradorite was selected for its remarkable iridescence, with every cut precisely oriented to enhance its natural play of light. When using Labradorite, it's essential to seek out the rarest and most valuable multicolored qualities. It's important to avoid losing the labradorescence refraction when cutting and carefully study the point of light that will illuminate the work, to make this marvelous stone shine. 

The choice to use Rhodochrosite of different qualities and cut at different angles is due to the possibility of exploiting the natural movement of its formation. Oxidation of manganese deposits in hydrothermal veins. We took advantage of the stalactite's circular shape to create the scales. For the head, we chose a unique, high-value piece with a deep, almost crystallized red color.

Year of composition: 2026

Size: cm 35x46

Artist: Leonardo Scarpelli

An original and authentic hand-made artwork created whith the antique technique of Commesso Fiorentino which is unique for Florence.

Commesso Fiorentino was born with Medici family, one of the most important families in Florence, in the second half of 1500.

The research of the stones is made by the mosaicist that must be able to choose from a rich and wide range of shades and veins: for this reason the artists personally search and collect the stones retracing the paths of the Medici researchers.

The processing starts by drawing the subject on adhesive paper, that is then cut into small tamplates that will be attached to the variegated shades of the stones following the visual instinct, the innate gift of the artist and his perfect knowledge of the materials. The shape of the little piece will be cut by hand with a chestnut, cherry or hazelnut wood bow and an iron wire that flows with abrasive powder and water. It creates a very precise and inclined cut to form the essential spaces to accommodate the glue, made by artisans with beeswax and pine tree resin. The different stones are previously glued onto a slate surface which acts as a support during the cutting and filing phase. The various pieces which form the composition are adjusted in shape with diamond files, glued together so that the joints are invisible, flattened and finally polished in order to create a perfect decorative harmony showing the colors of nature in all their radiance.