[Josh]

Hi everyone out there in pearl orbit. Check this out. It's the shell of a Pinctada Maxima (Australian South Sea pearls) that was carved over 800 years ago! It belongs to a friend of mine who is a marine biologist here in Tahiti. He bought it from a collector in France many years ago and recently brought it to Tahiti. It will soon take up residence in Robert Wan's pearl museum. It was used to baptise kings and is appropriately deeply concave. It was appraised at about a million dollars US but this pearl pundit guesses much more. The position of the legs of the people give away the age as well as the chip marks of the chisel which can be seen by a microscope only. For some perspective the pearl resting on top is a 12mm (A grade drop).

[knotty panda]

Wow! What a remarkable piece! Can you help me out with the carvings?

I see the Nativity at 6:00. The Magi at 5:00? Creation at 12:00? The 3:00 and 9:00 positions I can't tell. Possibly the conception at 7:00?

It really is remarkable.

[Caitlin]

Hi Josh
Thanks for thinking of us. That is a real treasure!

[Perle]

Wow, thanks for posting, Josh!

Looks to me like the following:

12:00: Baptism of Jesus
9:00: Ministry of John
7:00: Annunciation
6:00: Nativity
5:00: Adoration of the Magi
3:00: Visitation

Perle

[knotty panda]

I think you're probably right. Except, why do you say John's ministry instead of Jesus'? I mean, it could be either, couldn't it? Just curious. I'm actually fascinated by the carvings.

[Perle]

Hi Knotty,

Yes! I thought about that possibility, but I went with John mostly for artistic reasons:

(1) The focal point clearly is the 12:00 image (appropriate for a baptismal shell!), so one might guess the smaller ones are in the past relative to the Baptism. That would make John a better fit.

(2) The 12:00 image features Jesus and John. Since John is closely associated with the Baptism ("the Baptist"), it would have made sense to include some important images from his life also. His ministry (9:00) across from the Visitation (when John leaps in Elizabeth's womb), balance very nicely. They "frame" the central images of Jesus (12:00 across from 7:00, 6:00, and 5:00 - all relating to Jesus).

Just my $.02.

Perle

[Perle]

I should have mentioned also that the staff (in John's hand in the 12:00 image) seems to be carried over to the 9:00 image - the staff is common in the iconography of John.

Perle

[knotty panda]

I can't see the staff. But yes, I think you're probably right. I've never even heard of a Baptismal Shell before so this is all new to me. Still, the craftsmanship is marvelous.

[Perle]

Indeed it is. I wonder how this PM shell got all the way to France 800 years ago (if it was made there - maybe it just ended up there?). Maybe from China via the Silk Road? What a story that would be!

Perle

[Caitlin]

The range of pinctada maxima may provide a number of possible sources.

How a pinctada maxima shell gets to France must be quite a a story though I think the trading of seashells must go back further than we can imagine. Another thread describes shells that bore marks of human hands in the making of holes, were found in inland Afriica that dated back 95,000 years, more or less.

The study of shells under a microscope can tell what kind of tools made the carving by the character of the marks left on the shell by the tool. Josh gave some tantalizing clues, but I wasn't sure if it was carved in France. I hope we will learn.

[Josh]

But wait, there's more. I'm impressed with what you guys can make out on it. My friend rattled off what they all were but most was lost on me. The pearls they are on is a lot of second graft baroque and circled pearls.<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r106/joshhumbert/max2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

[Ashley]

The leg positioning of the central figure reminds me quite a bit of the Birth of Venus by Botticelli, painted during the late 1400's. Definitely a French Renaissance period piece of work; they were highly infuenced by the Italians at that time...

...I'd also like to add that the lack of natural perspective as well as having the figures all positioned in the foreground are all indicative of that period in art.

[Caitlin]

My wildest guess is that it is of Italian workmanship and given to the designated French royalty by the Pope.

If it was made to baptise royalty then it was possibly a gift for a particular baptism.

This is sheer speculation; I have no source.

(Aren't you glad I don't sell on eBay?)

[Sueki]

The popes lived in Avignon in France for just about all of the 14th. century. Pope Innocent 4th. lived in Lyon for sometime during the 13th. century.
So this piece could be French made. Sorry my memory of French history isn't better - I visited Avignon a few years ago and had a look around the papal palace.
Very beautiful.

[Ashley]

Pope Innocent IV was born in the late 12th century. Although he did indeed move to Lyons after he was elected, he never resided in Avignon. As a matter of fact, none of the 7 popes that retained the seat of the papacy in Avignon were in residence after 1387 approximately. There were, however, two anti-popes that retained power after 1400 during the Western Schism of the Catholic Church, however the Council of Constantance resolved the conflict and returned the seat of power to Italy...

I'm sure the papal residence was gorgeous, from what I understand, the French papal line was treated as royalty.