Antique Necklace From "Corallo Sciacca", Sicily c. 1900

The coral has been regarded as a lucky charm since ancient times. From the 17th century, for example, the following is recorded from Venice: "Portati dovunque l'huomo sia, ò in casa, ò in nave, scaccia le cattive ombre de gli spiriti, sogni, fulmini, venti, e tempeste e gli diffende da ogni assalto di fiere." - "Wherever man goes, whether he is at home or travelling by ship - the coral drives away the evil shadows of the spirits, bad dreams, lightning, winds, and tempests, and protects against every adversity" (Isabella Palumbo Fossati Casa: Intérieurs vénitiens à la Renaissance. Maisons, société et culture, Paris 2012, p. 276). In Naples, for example, people still use amulets made of coral to protect themselves against evil. However, the fascination of coral from the Mediterranean cannot be explained solely by its supposed protective function - the sight of it also never ceases to fascinate on an aesthetic level, as in the case of this necklace with two impressive strands. The two rows of pearls in a beautiful salmon red is sorted in the course and strung unknotted. The pearls are hand-cut and of vivid colour; their hand-finishing at the same time guarantees that the coral pearls were created in the years shortly after 1900.

Estimate:£741.81

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