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Late 19th or early 20th century hand-carved Mother of Pearl and Abalone and Olive tree wood diorama of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.Dimensions (approximate, for reference) : 20 cm x 23.5cm x 4cm
We are not experts at this type of art - we simply share with you what we\'ve been able to learn about this item.
Examples of this type are rare, even at antiques shops/sites. Internet search for \"mother of pearl diorama\" will likely show less than a hand-full of examples. What we have been able to find is either in the SOLD status or still available for sale with prices in the $ hundreds, and even as high as $2,500.
We found some interesting history about the mother of pearl artistry in Bethlehem and Jerusalem areas, which I posted at the bottom of this description. If nothing else, it is a very interesting read.
Excellent condition for the age of this coin from a private collection.
It comes from a private collection and pet-free and smoke-free home.
See photos for details and ask any additional questions before purchasing.
We welcome and will consider any reasonable offer for Buy It Now listings only.sale-style listings will have to run their course.
Continental USA sales ONLY! We do not sell or ship outside USA.We combine shipping for multiple coins purchased and shipped in the same package (only one shipping charge per order shipped).
All sales are FINAL and NO returns are accepted.Your understanding is greatly appreciated!We look forward to doing business with you!
Some history I was able to find on the internet in regards to Dioramas made in Palestine and later in Israel:
Pilgrims and Visitors of the main three faiths of the world (Jewish, Christian and Muslim) who visited the holy lands often brought back home some souvenirs and gifts to loved ones that represented the holy lands.
Some of these objects were made in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and some other places and sold to Locals, Pilgrims and Visitors from all over the world that can be found on the temple square and the streets of Jerusalem and Bethlehem particularly during major Christian religious occasions and church holidays such as Easter etc. When Jerusalem was filled with thousands of pilgrims, in 1912 alone some thirty thousand Russian pilgrims had registered with both the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem and the Imperial Palestinian Society.
For that reason there was a huge demand on traditional objects and souvenirs that represents the Holy Lands, the majority of those objects were made out of Mother of Pearl, Olive Wood Carvings and Furniture, other popular objects were like Metal Work such as Crosses and Ethnic Jewelry, Dead Sea Stone Carvings, Palestinian fine embroiders, Candles making, Lithographs and Engravings, Staged Photographs, Holy Land Photo Albums associated with fine Dried and Pressed Flowers Arrangements, and at a later date Armenian made Jerusalem Pottery.
The attraction of the Mother of Pearl lies in its smooth, durable and relatively easy to work with, translucent effect, the nice contrasts with darker furniture and different shiny colours that reflect the lights.
The Art of carving and engraving mother of pearl has a long history and been used in the near east and other parts of the world, for it has been used for inlay and the decoration of furniture, architectural details and Jewellery.
Also some historical documents and surviving artifacts reveal that the main centres for the production of Mother of Pearl were Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Olivewood carvings were generally executed in Jerusalem.
Mother of pearl as a raw material was brought from The Red Sea, as its rich marine life, has always provided a rich source of shells and mother of pearl. In fact until today, one major source of shells for the mother of pearl industry in Bethlehem is the Red Sea coast of Sinai.
And on later periods to meet the mounting high demand, Mother of Pearl and shells were imported as far as the South China Sea, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil. .
The entire shells or mother of pearl production process is based on: artistically outlining or designing, cutting and polishing into pieces of exact dimensions and shapes in order to form mosaic images, the pieces were affixed together on olive wood panels or boards, for supporting purposes by using natural adhesive materials to eventually become a diorama or a model.
Other techniques were also used that involves the carving and engraving of a complete polished shell to achieve an icon that is made out of one shell.
Historically and traditionally and since the 12th.century, the industry of mother of pearl was carried out in local workshops mostly at the Bethlehem area. Dedicated Palestinians mastered this art and passed it on from one generation to the next. During the golden age of the industry that was in the middle of the 19th century, until the first quarter of the twentieth century and due to the relative stability and increasing good relations with the western world, when mother of pearl carvings of this area had become very popular and sought after, for it started competing with other Christian ivory carvings, and was also used as wonderful bright alternative to ivory, for some how the talent of mother of pearl carving and engraving had matched if not surpassed them, pieces were not only considered as souvenirs from the Holy Lands anymore but also as masterpieces. Bethlehem has witnessed major development in the industry of mother of pearl, encouraged by the presence of pilgrims, religious individuals, the influence of missionaries and also The role of craftsmen arriving from Genoa and Damascus was well recognized historically.
The legacy of the mother of pearl craft in the Bethlehem area has maintained the artistic vision and tradition of the Palestinian community and provided some economic stability and independence.
The main well known artists in the field: Elias S. Dabdoub, Suleiman Dabdoub, whose work of the Dome of the Rock exists in the Top Kapi museum in Istanbul, Suleiman Roc (1831-1906), Hanna S. Roc (1863-1941), Yousef Jidi (1864-1934), Mikhael Lama, Butros Lama, Hanna Tabash, Elias Giacaman, Jamil Musallam, Saleh Abu Ayash, and others from the Salameh, Freij, Izmeri, Handal, Hazboun, Ballut, Shehadeh and Asfura families.
The Zougbi family was well known for its skill in working on large models. Issa Mikhael Zougbi was a senior member of the community in Bethlehem; his sons, mainly Bishara (1863-1934) and Yousef (1878-1964) were the main artists in this field of mother of pearl Their workshops of mother of pearl and olive-wood carving was officially established in 1876, the Zougbi workshop was maintained by his son Gregory (1908-1994), One of his other sons moved to Barranquilla Colombia, Latin America, and had established a mother of pearl workshop and its been running now under the family descendent Mr Enrique Jidi The workshop of Gregory Zougbi was officially closed down in the early 1970s.
