Antique Catholic Rosary, Hand Carved Lapis Lazuli Beads, 22 Carat Gold Cross Link and Chain, Circa 1880
This is a beautifully made and strung rosary made in France in the early 1800s. Each Lapis Lazuli bead is perfect and the Hail Mary beads measure 5 mm in diameter while the Our Father beads are 6 mm in diameter.
Lapis Lazuli is a semi precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its colour and it was used in the funeral mask of Tutankhamun
At the end of the Middle Ages, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was ground into powder and made into ultramarine, the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments. It was used by some of the most important artists of the Renaissance and Baroque, including Masaccio, Perugino, Titian and Vermeer, and was often reserved for the clothing of the central figures of their paintings, especially the Virgin Mary.
This is a five decade rosary.
The solid gold link medal is a beautiful depiction of The Virgin Mary with a rose above and below and it measures 1.8 x 1 cm and weighs around 1.3 grams.
A wonderfully elegant cross below measures 3.5 x 2 centimetres and weighs around 2.3 grams. The chain measures 2mm across.
The whole rosary measures 43 cm in length is in excellent condition and weighs 21.8 grams.
This wonderful rosary came from a chateau sale in the south west of France. It was enclosed in the box but I am not sure that the box is original to the rosary. I enclose it simply because the rosary came with it.
Antique jewelry in France always uses a minimum of 22 carat gold and this wonderful rosary has the lozenge on the cross which denotes solid gold and the eagle head on the link medal which is the French hallmark since 1838 of solid gold on small items.
An exquisite piece of very high quality work.
This beautiful and rare rosary will ship with international tracking and insurance as standard.
This is a beautifully made and strung rosary made in France in the early 1800s. Each Lapis Lazuli bead is perfect and the Hail Mary beads measure 5 mm in diameter while the Our Father beads are 6 mm in diameter.
Lapis Lazuli is a semi precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its colour and it was used in the funeral mask of Tutankhamun
At the end of the Middle Ages, lapis lazuli began to be exported to Europe, where it was ground into powder and made into ultramarine, the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments. It was used by some of the most important artists of the Renaissance and Baroque, including Masaccio, Perugino, Titian and Vermeer, and was often reserved for the clothing of the central figures of their paintings, especially the Virgin Mary.
This is a five decade rosary.
The solid gold link medal is a beautiful depiction of The Virgin Mary with a rose above and below and it measures 1.8 x 1 cm and weighs around 1.3 grams.
A wonderfully elegant cross below measures 3.5 x 2 centimetres and weighs around 2.3 grams. The chain measures 2mm across.
The whole rosary measures 43 cm in length is in excellent condition and weighs 21.8 grams.
This wonderful rosary came from a chateau sale in the south west of France. It was enclosed in the box but I am not sure that the box is original to the rosary. I enclose it simply because the rosary came with it.
Antique jewelry in France always uses a minimum of 22 carat gold and this wonderful rosary has the lozenge on the cross which denotes solid gold and the eagle head on the link medal which is the French hallmark since 1838 of solid gold on small items.
An exquisite piece of very high quality work.
This beautiful and rare rosary will ship with international tracking and insurance as standard.
English
Chinese (Simplified)
French
German
Italian
Russian
Spanish