A Mother of Pearl Veneered Devotional Plaque
A Mother of Pearl Veneered Devotional Plaque
Wood, Mother of Pearl, Ink
Holy Lands
17th / Early 18th Century
SIZE: 18cm high, 18cm wide, 2cm deep - 7 ins high, 7 ins wide, ¾ ins deep
20cm high - 7¾ high (with base)
Wood, Mother of Pearl, Ink
Holy Lands
17th / Early 18th Century
SIZE: 18cm high, 18cm wide, 2cm deep - 7 ins high, 7 ins wide, ¾ ins deep
20cm high - 7¾ high (with base)
A Mother of Pearl Veneered Devotional Plaque
Wood, Mother of Pearl, Ink
Holy Lands
17th / Early 18th Century
SIZE: 18cm high, 18cm wide, 2cm deep - 7 ins high, 7 ins wide, ¾ ins deep
20cm high - 7¾ high (with base)
Wood, Mother of Pearl, Ink
Holy Lands
17th / Early 18th Century
SIZE: 18cm high, 18cm wide, 2cm deep - 7 ins high, 7 ins wide, ¾ ins deep
20cm high - 7¾ high (with base)
The Virgin Mary, ‘Lady of Immaculate Conception’ is shown standing on a ‘crescent moon’ (representing one half, the Sun being the other half) together with two Saints, John the Baptist, often associated with the ‘waning’ moon and Saint John, with angels appearing from the clouds above, and the Archangel Gabriel depicted in the ‘frieze’ above.
As a holy city from the time of Constantine the Great, Jerusalem has always attracted scholars and pilgrims, but after the discovery and excavations of the Holy Christian sites, it became a very important focus of pilgrimage. In 1335 the Franciscans returned to the city and over time numerous churches, monasteries and associated hospices were built to care for, accommodate and cater to the thousands of Christian pilgrims. In the 17th century the Franciscan friars began to take commercial advantage of this influx and founded workshops using the local Syrian craftsmen to make mother of pearl inlaid wood models of the Sepulchre, the tombs, pilgrimage sites and objects in their traditional style to sell to the pilgrims as ‘souvenirs’, thereby boosting the monastery’s revenues.
As a holy city from the time of Constantine the Great, Jerusalem has always attracted scholars and pilgrims, but after the discovery and excavations of the Holy Christian sites, it became a very important focus of pilgrimage. In 1335 the Franciscans returned to the city and over time numerous churches, monasteries and associated hospices were built to care for, accommodate and cater to the thousands of Christian pilgrims. In the 17th century the Franciscan friars began to take commercial advantage of this influx and founded workshops using the local Syrian craftsmen to make mother of pearl inlaid wood models of the Sepulchre, the tombs, pilgrimage sites and objects in their traditional style to sell to the pilgrims as ‘souvenirs’, thereby boosting the monastery’s revenues.
Finch & Co catalogue no. 14, no. 88, 2009, for a 17th century Jerusalem model of the Holy Sepulchre and no. 26, catalogue no. 17, item no. 2011 for a devotional cross.
A Mother of Pearl Veneered Devotional Plaque
