Y A MOTHER-OF-PEARL VENEERED DEVOTIONAL PLAQUE HOLY LANDS, 1...

Estimate

£400 - £600

Y A MOTHER-OF-PEARL VENEERED DEVOTIONAL PLAQUE HOLY LANDS, 17TH/EARLY 18TH CENTURYWood, mother-of-pearl, and ink 18cm high, 18cm wide, 2cm deep, 20cm 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.

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