EIGHT 19TH CENTURY JERUSALEM MOTHER OF PEARL CARVED SHELLS OF RELIGIOUS THEME

comprising a pierced roundel carved with a depiction of the Last Supper after Leonardo, (16cm wide), two further of similar theme, one inscribed 'CENNA DI DOMINE', two of the Crucifixion, one of Christ on a donkey (Palm Sunday), another of the Virgin beneath an arch, and finally a relief centred by the Virgin holding the Christ Child on a donkey flanked by roundels from the life of Christ,

the largest 16cm wide

For similar depictions see the Bowers' Museum, California, Inv. No. 31521. These carved shells are pilgrimage souvenirs, and the Bowers' Museum states 'Though it lacks any sort of markings aside from the city name, this piece is stylistically highly consistent with other mother-of-pearl keepsakes dating from the 19th Century'. Mother of pearl was commonly used in decoration produced in the Holy Land as the shells were left over from clam fishing in the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

Provenance: Marie-Claude Fabius, a respected London antiques dealer was passionate about her treasured shell collection, amassed over many years. She descended from a long dynasty of famous Parisian antique dealers.