Hi All,

I have been approached by one of our collectors who is interesting in
learning more about an object that was passed on to him through a
great uncle.  Apparently this uncle was in the Merchant Marines and
collected a number of things on his travels.  The current piece in
question is a carved shell.  I am aware of the tradition (in the area
surrounding Naples) of carving shells into round scenes...usually
religious scenes.  However, the information passed down states that
this piece was from Venice and was collected around 18850-80.  Unlike
the examples I have seen from Naples, this piece is one truncated
"conch-like" shell with the largest end cut flat for balanced
seating.  Also the hole in the bottom appears to have been used as a
place to put a candle.  There is one area of carving and it is
oval...like a more traditional cameo.  The image is of a woman with
long flowing hair.  Mingled in with her tresses are garlands of
flowers and she is wearing a necklace.  It is well carved and about 7
inches high.  Does anyone have any info on such a piece?  Maybe even
a guess at a value?  They have talked with several appraisers, but
have not met up with the right person yet!!
Thanks for any information.
Hank T. Foreman
Director and Chief Curator
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
The Catherine J. Smith Gallery
Box 32057
733 Rivers Street
Farthing Auditorium
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC  28608
828-262-3017
[log in to unmask]

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).