crystal reliquary which contained a piece of the True Cross. On
supports attached to the cross were images of the Virgin Mary and of
St. John, each holding a reliquary. The cross itself rested on a
square silver-gilt base bearing the images of the four evangelists.
The ornamentation consisted of fifty large Scotch pearls and 142
small ones, intermixed with garnets and emeralds; there were also
many balas-rubies and sapphires of different sizes. The inventory
says: “The goldsmith Nicholas Roet declares that the stones are
genuine and that the pearls are from Scotland.”
Another gold cross, resting on a silver-gilt base which bore the
arms of France and Burgundy, was decorated with fourteen sapphires,
twenty balas-rubies, and twenty-four Scotch pearls. On the base were
the figures of St. Louis and of the queen, kneeling in prayer.
Still another cross, covered with gold and of Venetian workmanship,
bore thirty-nine pearls, twenty-seven balas-rubies, and four
sapphires. A clasp attached to this cross was set with four large
perforated pearls surrounded by small emeralds and sapphires.
A silver-gilt ornament, consisting of a golden image of St. Louis
seated on a silver throne and holding in his hand a reliquary
decorated with twelve pearls, six emeralds, and six Alexandrian
rubies. The crown of the image was set with four large oriental
pearls, three balas-rubies, etc.
An ivory image of the Virgin Mary, supported by a silver-gilt base
with the arms of France. This base was borne by four lions. On the
head of the Virgin was a crown of gold adorned with eight large,
round, oriental pearls and four small ones, as well as four emeralds
and four balas-rubies. On the breast of the image was a very large,
square emerald.
A splendid miter studded with good-sized pearls and decorated with
emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and balas-rubies. The pendants were
covered with seed-pearls and precious stones.
A fine chasuble of Indian satin lined with crimson taffeta and
covered with lilies, birds, unicorns, etc., embroidered in gold and
pearls. It was also adorned with small clusters of pearls and with
two shields bearing the arms of France and Navarre, quartered.
A beautiful copy of the gospels with covers of gold, ornamented with
fourteen large sapphires, thirteen balas-rubies, two cameos, and
eighty-nine good-sized pearls.
The following items are taken from the inventory of the treasury of the
abbey of St. Denis, made in 1534, during the reign of Francis I. This
record is in the Bibliothèque Nationale, in Paris:[470]
A crown of gold, with four fleurons, garnished with several
balas-rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls; valued at 59,980
crowns (about $135,000).
A golden cross and within it a piece of the True Cross which
belonged to “Jeanne d’Evreux, royne de France et de Navarre,”
valued, with the pearls that decorate it, at 345 crowns ($776).
A wooden chest containing eleven cases in which were many precious
stones and large and small pearls, both oriental and Scotch; valued
at 1858 crowns ($4180).
A number of priestly vestments embroidered with seed-pearls are
inventoried at 1200 crowns ($2700).
A blue satin chasuble bordered with pearls is valued at 350 crowns
($787).
An altar-table, set in the “grand altar,” is described as
elaborately decorated with “arches and pillars and images of gold”
in low relief, and garnished with precious stones and pearls. The
value is given as 1203 crowns ($2700).
Another altar-table similarly ornamented is valued at 2645 crowns
($5850). Above this table was a great cross of gold with a silver
border, called the “cross of St. Eloysius” (the patron saint of
goldsmiths); this was valued at 2291 crowns ($5154).
Over the sarcophagus containing the body of St. Denis, there was “a
large tabernacle of wood-work resembling a church, with a lofty nave
and low arches.” In this nave and in the transepts there were three
representations of sarcophagi; the whole was covered with gold,
precious stones, and pearls, and was valued at 7275 crowns
($16,368).
The head of St. Denis, incased in gold, was borne by two silver-gilt
angels, while a third held a small shrine containing a portion of
the jaw-bone of the saint. All these objects were studded with
precious stones and pearls, and were valued at 5622 crowns
($12,650).
There were also in the treasury several miters covered with
“ounce-pearls” and decorated with gold and silver bands; on this
field several larger pearls were set. One of these miters is valued
at 964 crowns ($2169) and another at 509 crowns ($1135).
The total value of the articles inventoried is 185,500 crowns (at
least $417,375).
Inventories of the property of the dukes of Lorraine, dated 1544, 1552,
and 1614, mention a number of pearl ornaments. In the inventory of 1544,
made about the time of the accession of Francis I of Lorraine, we read
of “a very fine case of silver-gilt around which are thirteen personages
in gold, and on the lock three balases and five pearls.” The inventory
of 1552, made while Charles II was duke, mentions “a cap of crimson
velvet whereon there are large pearls,” and another cap “entirely
covered with pearls.” It is, however, in the inventory of 1614, made a
few years after the accession of Henry II of Lorraine, that we find the
greatest number of items relating to pearls. An estimate of the value of
the rings and jewels was “faicte du commandement de son Altèze par
jouailliers et Lapidaires et Espertz dudit ars.” All these jewels were
to remain forever the property of the Duchy of Lorraine. Among the items
relating to pearls, the following are worthy of note:
A gold collar with seven settings, each containing one large diamond
and two large pearls. The diamond in the center was believed to
weigh fifteen carats, and the collar was valued at 35,000 crowns
(about $70,000).
Another collar contained seven diamonds and sixteen pearls set in
pairs, and was considered to be worth 19,750 crowns (about $40,000).
A collection of one hundred large pearls, some weighing twenty
grains, some twenty-four, some twenty-eight, and a few thirty-two
grains, were estimated at 12,000 crowns ($24,000).
A large pearl, very nearly pear-shaped and almost as large as a
pigeon’s egg, was set down at 2000 crowns ($4000).
A very fine pear-shaped pearl weighing forty-eight grains was valued
at 800 crowns ($1600).
Another pear-shaped pearl weighing about thirty-two grains was
placed at 500 crowns ($1000).
Four other pear-shaped pearls, nearly as large as the one above
mentioned, were estimated at 300 crowns ($600), while a round “pearl
of Seville” was valued at only fifty crowns ($100).
Six clusters of pearls, each containing two of fourteen grains, and
four of eight grains, were thought to be worth 700 crowns ($1400).
A large chalice was decorated with seven large oriental emeralds and
eight clusters, each composed of fourteen fine, round pearls, six of
twelve grains and eight of eight grains; the whole valued at 2400
crowns ($4800).
A hat ornament composed of eleven fine rubies and ten large, round
pearls, each weighing twelve grains, was estimated at 800 crowns
($1600).
A similar ornament, composed of thirteen rubies and fourteen pearls,
partly flat and partly round, was placed at 2000 crowns ($4000).
A collar set with seven fine rubies and the same number of round
pearls, each weighing twelve grains, and with seven other pendant
pearls, was valued at 550 crowns ($1100).
There was also a bed called the “bed of pearls,” which was
elaborately decorated with ornamentation in gold and richly studded
with pearls.
The inventory made in 1634 of the ornaments, etc., contained in the
abbey of St. Denis, offers some new material and a fuller description of
a few of the objects mentioned in the inventory of 1534. The most
noteworthy entries are given below:
A golden scepter upon a staff of wood. The scepter bears the figure
of Charlemagne seated upon a throne; at the corners are two lions
and two eagles (one of the latter was lacking in 1634). The figure
holds a scepter in its right hand, and a globe surmounted by a cross
in its left; on its head is a crown with a large, round, oriental
pearl valued at 200 livres ($135). The throne rested on a
fleur-de-lys, beneath which was a ball of gold ornamented with eight
oriental pearls. Around the throne was the inscription: “Sanctus
Carolus Magnus Italia Roma Gallia Germania,” and three clusters of
three pearls each. The value of this scepter was given at 3300
livres, or about $2200.
The reliquary of the hand of St. Thomas. Two angels, resting on a
silver-gilt base, bore the crystal receptacle containing the relic.
The ornamentation consisted of eight clusters of four large pearls
each, with a small diamond in the center. On the hand was a gold
band bearing the inscription: “Hic est manus beati Thomae apti. quam
misit in latus domini nostri Jesu Christi.” On the hand was a
pontifical ring set with a large sapphire. The reliquary also bore
the images of St. John the Baptist, of St. Thomas, and of the Virgin
Mary. It was valued at 5590 livres, or about $3700.
A vessel made of a porphyry resembling jasper and embellished with
forty-six pearls; estimated at 1500 livres ($1000).
A cope given by Anne of Bretagne, Queen of France, and bearing six
scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary embroidered in gold and
pearls; the whole bordered with pearls and gold of Cyprus. On the
cope were the letters A and S, and the words “plutost mourir.” There
were two ounces of pearls. Valued at 2000 livres ($1350).
A vase of rock crystal, of antique workmanship, with a cover and
base of silver-gilt; the top decorated with a band of amethysts,
garnets, and sapphires, alternating with Scotch and oriental pearls.
On the base are various precious stones and twenty-three Scotch and
oriental pearls, and the inscription “Hoc vas sponsa dedit Anor.
regi Ludovico.” This vase was given by Eleanor of Aquitaine to her
husband, Louis VII of France (1137–1180), by whom it was bestowed
upon Suger, Abbot of St. Denis (1082–1152). The goldsmith work and
decoration belong to the time of Suger. The vase is now in the
Louvre.
A chalice of agate, with two handles, and engraved with the figures
of men, animals, and birds. It stood on a foot of gold adorned with
sixteen sapphires, forty-four pearls, and twenty-two clusters of
fourteen pearls each. This chalice rested upon a paten of porphyry
decorated with seven fishes inlaid in gold, and with a bordering of
pearls and precious stones disposed around the edge. Both together
valued at 25,000 livres (about $16,000).
[Illustration:
THE EMPRESS DOWAGER OF CHINA
From a portrait painted by Miss Katharine A. Carl
]
A vase of agate with a foot of silver-gilt, and furnished with a
cover and a spout in the form of a serpent, both of silver-gilt.
Around the base an inscription: “Dum libare deo gemmis debemus et
auro, Hoc ego Sugerus offero vas domino” (Since we should pour
libations to God out of gems and gold, I, Suger, offer this vessel
to the Lord). This vase, which is now in the Louvre and is of
sardonyx, was enriched with many precious stones and with nineteen
Scotch and oriental pearls. The value given was 1500 livres (about
$1000).
A book beginning: “Kyrie Eleison,” with covers of wood, one overlaid
with gold and the other with silver. On the golden cover was an
ivory crucifix, and images, in ivory, of the Virgin Mary and of St.
John. The cross was bordered with seed-pearls, as were the diadems
of the images. The cover was also decorated with an engraved
crysolite, an engraved peridot, and with sapphires, emeralds, and
garnets.[471]
A curious item regarding the use of pearls in embroidery is contained in
one of the inventories of the dukes of Burgundy, made in 1414; this
reads as follows:
The sum of 276 livres 7 sols 6 deniers tournois (about $960), the
price of 960 pearls destined to ornament a dress; along the sleeves
are embroidered the words of the song “Madame, je suis joyeulx,” and
the notes are also marked along the sleeves. On each sleeve are 264
pearls which help in forming the notes of the said song, numbering
142; that is to say, a square made of four pearls for each
note.[472]
Mention is made in two old French documents of the use of pearls from
Compiegne in ornamentation. In the “Inventaire de la royne Clémence,” in
1328, we read of “a cock covered with precious stones and bearing a
pearl of Compiègne”; and in the “Comptes Royaux,” under date of 1353,
appears this item: “For four pearls, oriental, Scotch and of Compiègne,
for the said arm-chair, 48 crowns.” As these pearls could not have been
found in Compiègne, we may suppose that there was a market for their
sale in that place, which gave rise to the designation.[473]
The English authority and writer on early English silver, F. Alfred
Jones, communicated, under date of September, 1907, that pearls were
rarely used in old English plate; in fact, any such embellishments were
of exceedingly infrequent occurrence. They are, however, frequently
mentioned in the inventory of the marvelous collection of gold plate
dispersed by Charles I of England, which may have dated from the time of
the looting of the churches and monasteries by Henry VIII.
The following items are from the inventories of Philip II of Spain and
of Margarita, wife of Philip III. The original documents are in the
Austrian archives.
A golden cup which came from England. Around the foot was a wreath
of fifteen fleurons, each containing pearls, and also four St.
Andrew’s crosses comprising eighteen pearls each. The interior of
the cup showed scenes from the life of St. George and was studded
with pearls, while thirty-one pearl pendants hung from the edge.
11,897 reals (about $1700).[474]
Some curious jewels, belonging to Queen Margarita, wife of Philip III of
Spain, were entered in an inventory made in 1611.
An imperial eagle, full of diamonds, that came from England, with
two pendants of two pearls, which could be unhooked from the said
eagle and were worn by her Majesty at two masks as earrings. Valued
at 77,000 reals (about $11,000).
Gold earrings, enameled in various colors, with seven diamonds in
each one and three pendant pearls, two small ones of equal size and
the other shaped like a pear. Valued at 1320 reals ($188).[475]
In the older Spanish jewelry pearls were frequently entirely pierced
through, as if they had been worn in necklaces; and if hung as drops of
one to three or more, they were strung on a wire, the upper end usually
forming an ornament, and they were kept from falling off below by
flattening the lower end of the wire, this flattening acting as a stop.
These styles have a marked resemblance to the oriental methods elsewhere
described, and suggest the derivation of the early Spanish pearl
mounting from the Moorish occupation of the country. If they were set
singly on any part of the jewel, they were put on a wire peg fastened to
it, and then the end of the wire which projected was hammered flat to
keep the pearl in place. Excellent examples of these styles are the
Spanish earrings in the collection of the Hispano-American Museum of New
York. The same method was used in Transylvania in the seventeenth
century with remarkably artistic effect.
The pearls of the Virgin of the Rosary in the church of St. Domingo,
Lima, were famous. It is believed that they were sold in the war of
independence. Those of the monstrance in the sanctuary of the cathedral
of Lima were sold during the last war with Chile. The monstrance of the
cathedral of Cuzco still shows pearls and emeralds, but they are of
small size.
A lady who left a great fortune in pearls to the church of Nazareno and
the House of the Poor of the church of St. Peter, Lima, was Doña Maria
Fernandez de Córdoba, from the family of Borda, grandmother to the
minister of Peru in Washington. She was a descendant of Hernan Cortés
and of Pizarro by her ancestor Carmen Cortés.
The pearls of Lima figure prominently in the history of the Peruvian
families. The war of independence, which ended in 1822, was followed by
the suppression of the entailed estates; this forced a division of the
family fortunes, and it became necessary to sell the family jewels in
Europe. Thither went all the famous pearls of the Peruvian aristocracy,
whose luxury is proven by the fact that in 1780 there were in Lima no
less than two thousand private carriages.
One of the most remarkable uses of Bohemian pearls was that of a large
triptych owned by Count Moritz of Lobkowitz and Duke of Raudnitz. It
measured six or more feet in height. The entire borders were ornamented
with pearls. The center of the triptych represented the ascension of
Christ on a chariot drawn by lambs. In the panel to the right was the
Angel Gabriel, and to the left the Virgin Mary praying. The borders and
lettering were magnificently embroidered and decorated in Bohemian
pearls. This object probably dated from the sixteenth or early part of
the seventeenth century. It was estimated by one of the authors to
contain at least one hundred thousand pearls.
Madame Zelie Nuttal, the great Maya scholar, personally writes that
pearls are not mentioned either as articles of tribute or of decoration
in ancient Mexican codices; possibly a lack of fine, hard instruments
with which to drill holes in pearls may have caused them to be
comparatively little used in personal adornment. Neither do they appear
to have been found incrusted in prehistoric objects, and we have no
written evidence of their having been used in this way. We do not know
of any instances of the wearing of pearls by the Indian women, but the
women of the higher classes used to wear them profusely, more especially
drop-earrings and pendants. Madame Nuttal also communicates as follows:
Bernadino de Sahagun states: “There are also pearls in New Spain,
and they are familiar to everybody. They are named epyollotti,[476]
which means the heart of the shell, because they are formed in the
shell of the oyster.” In Molina’s dictionary “seed-pearls” are named
“piciltic epyollotti,” which means “water-stars,” a poetical name,
composed of the word a = att = water, and cittallin = star. The
latter name leads us to infer the possibility that the “star-skirt,
or skirt of, or with stars,” the “cittallin icue” of the living
image of the goddess “Tlamateculitti” was decorated with _pearls_,
although it is only described (Book II, chap. 36) as being “of
leather, cut into strips at the bottom (forming a fringe), at the
end of each of which hung a small shell named ‘cueclitti’ which
reproduced a sound when she walked.” As it is stated that this
“star-skirt” was worn over “a white one” it seems as though it must
have been of the kind, represented in codices and sculptures, made
of openwork and netlike, and studded with round objects—possibly
pearls—at the crossings or in the centers of the open spaces.
Oil-paintings of the madonnas represent them with robes richly
embroidered with pearls, and wearing “ropes of pearls.” The Virgin of
the Rosario, in the church at Santo Domingo, Mexico, was noted for her
pearls, and there is a small oil-painting of this virgin, in which she
is depicted with a wealth of pearls.
In the Bohemian National Exposition, held at Prague in 1891, Count
Schwarzenberg exhibited four embroideries, each fourteen by eight
inches. They were embroidered with Bohemian pearls found on his domains
a century or more previous, and contained many thousands of pearls.
In Hungary pearls have always been the favorite jewels, especially among
the aristocracy, and they have served to adorn the national costume of
both men and women. A century ago nearly every family of distinction
owned a necklace, but most of the pearls were small and of indifferent
quality. Since that time fine pearls have become more usual, and many
wealthy Hungarian families have acquired beautiful pearls of good size
and excellent quality, and many splendid necklaces can now be seen in
Hungary. The following are some of the finest:
A necklace of three large rows, owned by the Archduke Joseph and
valued at one million francs.
A still larger necklace in the possession of Prince Nicholas
Esterhazy; this, however, is an entailed heirloom, and may not be
parted with without the king’s permission.
A very fine necklace of five rows, also an entailed heirloom, owned
by Count Maurice Esterhazy.
A large necklace, possessed by Countess Alois Karoly, wife of the
late ambassador in London. This is another entailed heirloom; its
value is at least a million and a half francs.
An unusually large necklace of four rows, such as one rarely sees,
owned by the Countess Wenkheim. The pearls are white, and have a
good shape, but not much brilliancy. The average size of these
pearls is approximately twenty-four grains.
An equally large necklace consisting of a single row, averaging
twenty-six grains, in the possession of Countess Louis Batthyani.
There are a great many other necklaces of fine quality, worth from
300,000 francs down to 100,000 francs, belonging to families such as
those of Count Joseph Hunyadi, Countess Festetics-Hamilton, Count
Landor Nako, Peer Leo Lanczi, Count Albert Apponyi, Mr. Eugene
Dreher, Madame Emma de Bachrach, etc., etc. Indeed, almost every
wealthy family of the better class owns a necklace worth up to
100,000 francs and over.
[Illustration:
PEARL ORNAMENTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES
Hungarian Aigret Earring, Hungary
Earrings, Nijni-Novgorod Spanish earring
]
The portraits of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries
afford us many interesting evidences regarding the various forms of
jewelry in which pearls were used. Indeed, had we no other records,
these pictures alone would prove the great popularity of the gem as an
ornament.
In the finely executed portrait of the Duchess Anne de France, she wears
a coronet with three pearls at each point. It seems to be made up of
three large pearls, set on a row of pearls circling the entire top of
her head, beneath which is a row of great emeralds, and then another row
of pearls. Flaring downward and entirely covering the side of her head
near the ear, are two rows of pearls with a row of fine emeralds between
them, the rows of pearls deflecting slightly downward until the chin
line is reached, and then turning back and slightly upward, meeting at
the back. As in the crown cap, the same severe decoration in pearls is
the main feature, and is repeated on each side of the robe, the front of
which is of ermine. Beginning on a line with the shoulder is a broad
band of pearls and emeralds set in gold which extends below her waist.
At the top of this are six pearls set in a straight line. Then from the
end of this line, dropping straight down, is a row on each side. Between
the two rows is a gem, then two great pearls and another gem, then two
more pearls, this being repeated to below the waist. The ermine is held
at her waist by a trefoil reversed; that is, two pearls above and one
below a great gem, and then a trefoil reversed below this. This portrait
is dated 1498 and is on a triptych in the cathedral of Moulins.
Quite unique is the pearl decoration in a picture of St. Barbara,
painted by an artist of the French school, and dated 1520, which is in
the National Museum of Budapest. This artist uses pearls with the utmost
severity of taste and richness. Beginning a trifle above the center of
her forehead is an emerald ornament, and on each side there extend to
the back of her head three rows of pearls, not placed exactly one row
above the other, but the rows intertwined with each other. The whole is
enriched by a great string of pearls about her neck. The effect produced
is extremely artistic and beautiful.
Catharine de’ Medici wore two rows of pearls on her bonnet, and a quaint
necklace in sections of two rows of four pearls, with a large pearl
between; a pear-shaped pendant on a Renaissance jewel; a row of pearls
around her low-cut bodice, and a girdle of jewels alternating with
pearls, which extended to the lower end of her gown. In addition to all
this, she wore a bracelet of jewels with a pearl set between each
ornament. This artistic combination is best shown in her portrait in the
Uffizi, Florence (No. 726), painted by an unknown artist.
One of the most unique, rich, and chic collections of pearls, and one
worn with unusual grace, is that of the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia,
shown in the fine portrait of her by Coello Sanchez. In this portrait
her hat shows the plumes embroidered with slanting rows of three, four,
and five pearls. In the center of the hat is an ornament shaped like a
flower, with seven large pearl petals surrounding a great pearl center.
The hat is tilted to one side showing her hair on the left, while a
little to the right of the center of her forehead, and touching it,
there hangs from her hair a great pear-shaped pearl, which adds a
wonderful amount of character to the jeweling of her head. Around her
neck is a high fluted ruff; below which is a collar of large gems
relieved by an ornament of two pearls placed between each gem. The same
interesting motive is carried out in a girdle of gems which comes down
very low to her waist, terminating in a large jeweled heart ornament.
The painting shows sixteen remarkable pearls in the collar, and
thirty-six pearls in the jeweled girdle.
A very interesting collection of portraits was exhibited last spring
(1907) at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. The pictures are
contained, in some instances, in old illuminated manuscripts, while in
others they are contemporary crayon sketches. Many pearl decorations are
represented, and we give a few of the most important.
The portrait of Anne de Bretagne (1476–1514), wife of Louis XII,
from the “Heures d’Anne de Bretagne,” illuminated by Jean
Bourdichon, represents the queen kneeling; she wears a collar
ornamented with groups of four pearls alternating with precious
stones.
A crayon sketch of Françoise de Foix, Comtesse de Châteaubriant
(1490–1537), who became the mistress of Francis I, shows her wearing
a hood or coif ornamented with forty oval pearls. She also wears a
necklace of sixty fine round pearls.
Diane de Poitiers (1499–1566), granddaughter of Charles VII and
Agnes Sorel, is represented with a head-dress similar to that worn
by the Comtesse de Châteaubriant . It has a border of sixty round
pearls. This crayon is of the time of Jean Clouet.
A portrait of Philip Strozzi (1541–1582) who, although an Italian,
had the rank of colonel-général in the French army, is interesting
as an illustration of the wearing of earrings by the men of this
period. The fine round pearl which hangs from his ear strikes us now
as a curious ornament for a warrior.
A crayon sketch of Gabrielle d’Estrées (d. 1599), mistress of Henri
IV, is attributed to the hand of Daniel Dumonstier. Here may be seen
a splendid pearl necklace, which apparently consists of six
sections, each comprising three rows of eight round pearls, the
sections being connected with each other by a large oval pearl. The
necklace, which hangs down over the bosom, is fastened by a clasp in
the form of a four-leaved clover, from which depend two other
sections similar to those described above, and terminating in an
oval pearl pendant.
The portrait of the Duchesse de Montpensier (1627–1693), the “Grande
Mademoiselle” of Mme. de Sévigné’s letters, is from the “Maximes de
nostre salut,” dedicated to the duchess by the author, M. de la
Serre, and is attributed to Nicolas Jarry. It represents the duchess
wearing a beautiful necklace of round pearls and a large pear-shaped
pearl earring, while another pear-shaped pearl depends from a clasp
which serves to loop up her fichu on the shoulder.
A fine example of the Renaissance style existing in the sixteenth
century is that of a gold and enamel necklace of Italian workmanship,
embellished with pearls. This necklace was presented to the Louvre
Museum by Don A. de Rotschildt. The two-pearl motive is carried out
exquisitely, two pearls appearing in a small connecting ornament between
two larger enameled and engraved gold plaques, which represent scenes
from the life of our Saviour.
At the exposition of 1900 there was shown in the Russian Pavilion, a
most interesting collection of jewelry of decidedly oriental character,
dating from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. These jewels were
said to have belonged to the Emir of Bokhara. They differed slightly
from the East Indian in character, and generally consisted of
combinations of pearls, rubies, and emeralds, the three colors of these
gems predominating. One of the most interesting of the necklaces,
acquired by J. Gelatley, Esq., shows an arrangement of the pearls which
is peculiarly attractive and decorative.
The heraldic significance of pearls has at times been very important.
While in the eighteenth century the crowns of the French nobles were
surmounted with silver points, it appears that in the sixteenth century
they were provided with pearl points. According to Rudolphus,[477] the
dukes wore a leaf crown of eight leaves, with or without as many
commingled pearl points; the marquises a crown of four leaves with
twelve pearl points, or with four groups of three pearls set one over
the other; and the counts, a pearl crown which sometimes had four pearls
in each corner, one above the other. The viscounts wore a gold ring set
with four pearls, and the barons a gold ring entwined with pearls.
The same is true of the English coronets. Instead of the pearls which
they bore at an earlier period, silver balls are now used on those of
the English barons, viscounts, earls, and marquises. This change
probably owed its origin to the desire on the part of the sovereigns to
confine the official use of pearls and other precious stones to
themselves. The rules at the coronation of Edward VII forbade the use of
pearls except as a special royal privilege. The earl’s coronet has eight
balls raised on points, with gold strawberry leaves between the points.
The marquis wears one with four gold strawberry leaves and four silver
balls alternating, the latter raised above the rim.[478]
A pearl and gold ring, formerly belonging to Washington, is now in the
possession of Vice-Chancellor E. B. Learning, of Camden, N. J. It bears
in the center a lock of Washington’s hair under a conical glass, around
which is a setting of blue and white enamel with a square of red at each
corner. The whole is surrounded by a circle of thirteen pearls. This
ring was presented by Washington to Lieutenant Richard Somers prior to
the latter’s departure on the expedition against the Algerine pirates in
Tripoli, in the course of which he lost his life. Before his departure
he left the ring with his sister, Sarah Keen. Vice-Chancellor Leaming’s
paternal grandmother inherited it as heir to Somers’s estate, and from
her it descended successively to her son and grandson. The lock of
Washington’s hair is admitted to be one of only three now existing, of
the other two, one is at Washington’s headquarters at Newburg and the
other in the museum at Boston. The ring was exhibited at the Centennial
Exposition in 1876.
And what a wealth of pearls was seen at the marriage of the late Emperor
Frederick III of Germany with Princess Victoria, in 1858! The wedding
gift of the bridegroom consisted of a necklace of thirty-six enormous
pearls, three superb ones in the middle, and graduated in size toward
the ends. From her mother, Queen Victoria, the bride received a diamond
necklace and three massive brooches set with unusually large pearls; and
from Prince Albert, a magnificent hair-net of pearls, diamonds, and
emeralds. The king and queen of Prussia presented a diadem of brilliants
surrounded with a splendid circlet of pearls. On the day of her entry
into Berlin, the queen bestowed on the bride a costly brooch of pearls
and diamonds, representing a bouquet, the leaves of which consisted of
diamonds, while the flowers themselves were of pear-shaped pearls of
large size, one weighing 160 grains, and fourteen of them weighing 600
grains together.
One of the most splendid and best known collection of pearls, and one
worn with as much grace as any in Europe, consists of those owned by the
dowager Queen Margherita of Italy, whose name signifies pearl, and who
has always been fond of the ocean jewel. Her husband, King Humbert, made
her many presents of this regal gem. A photograph, signed by the queen
and sent to us for this volume by her gracious courtesy, shows her
wearing her magnificent twelve strings of pearls, a pearl bracelet, and
a pearl tiara with pear-shaped pearl tips.
[Illustration:
MARGHERITA, DOWAGER QUEEN OF ITALY
]
At the coronation of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, beside her
coronation crown, the latter wore many of her richest and most beautiful
jewels. These consisted of seven immense rows of pearls, each
twenty-four to thirty inches in length, hanging below five large neck
circlets of diamonds and a great corsage ornament which covered her
entire bodice; and beneath part of this was a splendid ornament of
diamonds with large, pear-shaped pearls.
A careful study of the decorations conferred by potentates and
governments shows that the pearl is rarely used in the ornamentation of
these marks of distinction. A notable exception is that given by the
Siamese government. This decoration is known as the nine-jewel Siamese
decoration, and bears a large center pearl. It is only conferred on nine
members of the royal Siamese family, including his Majesty the King of
Siam. The central pearl represents the king and the eight other jewels
surrounding it the members of his family. It is strange that Siam should
find so much significance in white, as is illustrated by the white
elephant, and also by the use of the white pearl for this order.
The Order of Christ, the chief Portuguese order, has a long cross
enameled in bright red surcharged with a white cross and bordered with
fine pearls. The effect is both striking and beautiful.
The order of the crown of India is a jeweled badge with a device
composed of the imperial cipher, E. R. and I., in diamonds, pearls, and
turquoises, set within a border of pearls and surmounted by the imperial
crown.[479]
A remarkable pearl necklace was recently the subject of litigation in
England. It was the property of the late Duchess of Sermonata, an
Englishwoman who married an Italian. She was a daughter of the late Lord
Howard de Walden, one of the wealthiest of the English nobility. The
duchess was in the habit of investing all her spare cash in pearls, and
it seems that she chose a very good form of investment, since pearls
have increased in value to a greater extent even than diamonds during
the same period. Of the ten rows of which this necklace consisted, six
were deposited for safekeeping in a London bank and the other four were
in Florence at the time of the death of the duchess. She had bequeathed
the gems at the bank to her niece, Miss Henrietta Ellis, and had left
directions that, if her pearl necklace was in London when she died, it
should be sent to her Italian executors. All the jewels are now claimed
by these executors, while Miss Ellis contends that it was the intention
of the duchess to leave to her the pearls in the hands of the London
bankers. The necklace consisted at one time of ten rows; the first,
thirteen and a half inches long, comprised forty-one pearls; the second,
fourteen inches in length, thirty-nine pearls; the third, fourteen and a
half inches, forty-three pearls; the fourth, seventeen inches,
forty-seven pearls; the fifth, seventeen and a half inches, forty-nine
pearls; the sixth, nineteen and a half inches, fifty-five pearls; the
seventh, twenty-one inches, sixty-six pearls; the eighth, twenty-three
and a half inches, seventy pearls; the ninth, twenty-six inches,
eighty-two pearls; the tenth, twenty-nine and a half inches, ninety-one
pearls. The total number of pearls is 583, and the necklace is valued at
$150,000.
A widely advertised necklace of large size was shown in the English
section of the Paris Exposition of 1900. This necklace consisted of
forty-six pearls weighing 1596 grains, and was valued at $450,000. It
was loaned by an English gentleman now dead, and was returned to him at
the close of the exposition and later dispersed.
In regard to the possession of pearls by families in the United States,
we may safely say that there is not a letter in the alphabet under which
we cannot find the names of from one to a dozen families, owning single
strings or collections from the value of $10,000 to $200,000, or even
more. If one is a wearer of jewels, pearls are an absolute necessity;
indeed, they are as essential and indispensable for the wealthy as are
houses, horses, and automobiles. At no period in the world’s history
have pearls been more widely distributed; and some of those of to-day
are finer in quality and orient, and also more carefully matched, than
those in the great collections of the past. Of course there are
exceptions, where royal personages have been careful observers and have
used good taste, but it is a question whether there have ever been more
critical or better buyers, as far as selection is concerned, than are
many American men and women who have purchased this gem.
One of the largest pearl necklaces in the United States is in the
possession of an American lady. There are perhaps thirty pearls in the
necklace, weighing in all about 1400 grains; the largest pearl weighs
nearly 120 grains. There is also one of 75 grains and one of 70 grains,
the others graduating down to 20 grains.
[Illustration:
COLLECTION OF BLACK PEARLS BELONGING TO AN AMERICAN LADY
]
With increasing wealth, and a demand for rich rather than gaudy or showy
jewelry, there is nothing that commends itself so highly as the pearl,
which acts as a foil to the diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire, and at
the same time harmonizes with them and in fact with all the colored
stones. The true pearl, as it increases in size and beauty, becomes
proportionately more rare and costly; and yet it differs from other
jewels in the fact that they are mined in the depths of the earth, and
their existing quantity is speculative, while the home of the pearl is
much more accessible, and it is possible to make an estimate of the
number of pearls in course of growth. Pearls, however, are forming all
the time, while other gems are perhaps to-day as they were ages before
the advent of man. Nevertheless, even if pearls were cultivated as they
should be, and people cared for the mollusks as the oyster-gatherer does
for his crop—by planting it, guarding it and gathering it
systematically—still, the ever-increasing demand would more than balance
the greater supply. As we have said, at no time since pearls were worn
have they enjoyed such favor; and while they have always increased in
value, this increase has never been so rapid as in the past ten years.
They are jewels which can be worn by young or old, and which adapt
themselves to every fabric that man or woman can use for attire; whether
they are white, gray, or black, they are never obtrusive, but always
have a refining effect. Round as the globe upon which we live, they will
probably be worn and appreciated as long as life exists upon this
sphere.
It is interesting to note the change of taste and the difference of
opinion, at various epochs, in regard to the respective merits of
pear-shaped and round pearls. In the Roman period the pear-shaped pearls
were more highly valued; in the eighteenth century round pearls were
esteemed the more valuable, while at the present day they are both on
about the same basis.
With the progressive twentieth century taste for independence in
fashion, our modern ladies take from every epoch what they think will
best suit their superrefined beauty. Therefore we are not surprised to
find in their jewel-cases the long earrings and large brooches adorned
with seed-pearls, similar to those worn by their grandmothers of the
early Victorian period. Although these jewels cannot be considered very
beautiful according to the artistic standard of to-day, they,
nevertheless, lend to their wearers a certain quaint dignity and
piquancy which is very attractive.
As an instance of modern pearl-wearing by a lady of the present century,
we may note a portrait in which there is a simple necklace of large
pearls; over this a collar of twenty-three rows of pearls with a diamond
centerpiece, and to relieve the severity, a sautoir, which is made up of
alternate pearls and diamonds, and pearl earrings. No better
illustration can be given than the portrait of Señora Carmen Romero
Rubio de Diaz, wife of President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico, which, by her
courtesy, we are able to figure.
The gathering of a great necklace is not the work of a day; it often
requires many years. Such necklaces are frequently held for a long time
by dealers or by a number of people who are interested in their sale,
and whenever one or more pearls can be purchased which form a better
graduation or which are of better color or more perfect, they are
usually purchased to improve the necklace if the price is a proper one.
In the early sixties, when most American women aspired to owning a pair
of diamond earrings, it was not uncommon for ladies to start with a
hundred, two hundred, five hundred, or a thousand-dollar pair, and, for
a dozen years to come, to add an annual sum of one hundred, two hundred
or five hundred dollars to increasing the size of these by exchanging
them with the dealer at the cost price and paying the difference between
the value of the pair that had been purchased and that of the new pair.
In this way ladies who never would have thought of spending five
thousand dollars for a pair of earrings, virtually made a savings-bank
of the jewels. This is frequently done with pearls. A small necklace or
a few pearls will be purchased; these are added to annually or at such
times as the owner may have spare savings or gifts to invest. It is not
uncommon for a family to buy a pearl for a daughter on her first
birthday, and each succeeding year add one pearl to this, so that she
may first wear one pearl, then two, then three, and by the time the
young lady makes her début in society, a good start has been made toward
a pearl necklace. It was the custom of King Humbert of Italy to present
his queen, Margherita, with one fine pearl every year, and with this
succession of annual gifts she possessed one of the finest collections
in Europe.
In the portraits of the four daughters of the present Czarina of Russia,
the Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Olga, Maria, and Anastasia, we can see that
their pearl necklaces were built up gradually, as that of the eldest
daughter is notably longer than those of her younger sisters. These
pearls were annual gifts from the Czar and Czarina and from others of
the imperial family.
There are few ornaments worn by man or woman that have not at one time
or another been bepearled, either with large or small pearls, with one
pearl or many pearls, with pearls of high or low degree, and no object
is ever made the less rich by the addition of the peerless gem of the
ocean depths.
As the prices of pearls have increased, naturally the single objects
containing them have also become more costly. It is not unusual to see
rings with pearls each costing from $5000 to $10,000, $20,000, and even
$30,000 and over, the pearls not infrequently being in button form.
Rings are occasionally made up of one white and one black oriental
pearl, and if a pink one is combined with these, it is either a
fresh-water or a conch pearl. Such rings sell for $5000, $8000, $10,000
and $15,000 each.
Pendant pearls, either round, ovate, drop, or pear-shaped, sell from
$5000 to $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, and even $100,000.
The prices for one or two choice pearls worn for the adornment of a
man’s shirt-front are $2000, $3000, $5000, and even $10,000.
[Illustration:
SENORA CARMEN ROMERO RUBIO DE DIAZ, WIFE OF PRESIDENT PORFIRIO DIAZ OF
MEXICO
]
In link buttons, slightly ovate, button or round pearls are used, the
link being made up of one white and one black pearl, costing $2000,
$3000, $5000, and even $20,000 a set.
It is not unusual for a man to wear a scarf-pin set with a round, ovate,
or pear-shaped pearl costing $2000, $5000, $10,000, $15,000, and even
$30,000.
For men’s scarf-pins, a variety of colors are frequently selected, such
as a white oriental, a pink American, a pink conch, or a gray and black
oriental pearl.
Single pearl necklaces sell for $1000, $2000, $5000, $8000, $10,000,
$15,000, $20,000, $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, and $500,000 necklaces
are not unknown.
Tiaras sell for $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000.
Waistcoat buttons, sometimes made up of baroque pearls, cost from $200
to $500; sometimes, however, when fine pearls are used, the price paid
for a set of five or six buttons is as high as $10,000.
It is scarcely possible to mention all the various forms in which the
pearl has been worn: whether as a spray of many small pearls or a few
large ones, either round, ovate, or pear-shaped for aigrets; in points
on crowns, used either for ornamental or heraldic purposes; for the
decoration of the orbs, scepters, and crowns of kings and emperors; for
forming an edging on bonnets, caps, fillets, or diadems; in pendant
form, usually consisting of one, although sometimes of three or four
pendants in rows and lines to ornament the side of the face; or one,
two, three, or a bunch together to adorn the ear; as a single pearl on a
wire or a group of them, as worn in the nose of the East Indian beauty;
as a single, two, three, or many-rowed necklace to grace the lady, the
queen, and the empress; or else in six, ten, to twenty or more rows with
a tiny gold jeweled bar, or a large diamond center, in the form of
collars; as a long chain from four to ten feet long to hang from the
neck to the waist, or else to be worn once, twice, or thrice around the
neck, hanging down and then encircling the waist in the form of a
sautoir; either as a single drop, consisting of an ovate or pear-shaped
pearl or a number of them together in the form of a pendant combined
with diamonds; as a single pearl surrounded with pearls or diamonds for
buttons to adorn my lady’s crown; in rows, or combined with jewels and
enamel, in the form of a bow-knot with long bunches of pearls, for
shoulder bars; either as one pearl alone or alternating with gold wire,
with jewels, or with many pearls, in endless forms, as bracelets; either
as a single row, two rows or alternate rows in infinite variety on
bodices, as worn in the past more than at the present; in a single row
on ornamenting metal, enamel, or jewelwork in the form of girdles; in
five hundred forms for rings; as an embroidery or in rows pendant on
slippers; and, finally, as a stole. These are only a few of the uses to
which a lady can put pearls.
By men, pearls are worn to adorn the shirt, to wear in the scarf, as
link buttons, as waistcoat buttons, or as a fob. The pearls used in this
way are sometimes quite as expensive as any of those worn by the ladies.
Ecclesiastics, for more than two thousand years, have appreciated the
richness of bepearling. In Russia we find pearls decorating crosses,
missal covers, vestments, bindings on books, chalices and crook-tops;
they are employed as borders to ikon frames, or for the decoration about
the Madonna and Child. In Persia we find pearl-embroidered rugs,
pillows, and bolsters. Half-pearls are used in quaint decorations for
watches, snuff-boxes, miniatures, and portrait frames. Even saddles and
horse-trappings in the East do not escape the charm and beauty of the
pearl. Even the English coronation spoon is known for the pearls which
ornament it.
Of the many forms of earrings that have come down to us, none is simpler
or daintier than a single pearl worn as an ear-screw, or partly or
entirely strung on a thin gold wire. Another dainty style is three
pearls, worn one below the other as in ancient Rome, known as a triclum;
or the round pearl with a pear-shaped pendant or bunches of pearls known
as crotalia, also worn in ancient times.
A pearl necklace is usually clasped either by a round or ovate pearl,
drilled so that the catch and snap are contained within the pearl
itself, or else by a pearl surrounded by diamonds, rubies, or other
gems. Such a clasp frequently serves to bind from two to fifteen rows of
pearls, the first or smaller row encircling the neck, and each row in
turn being larger until the fifteenth row reaches to the bosom or even
to the waist.
Pearl collars are usually made up of four, six, ten, twenty, and even
twenty-five rows; often of very small pearls, generally fitting closely
to the neck. The pearls are held in position either by four gold,
diamond, or jeweled bars, or frequently the entire front of the collar
is occupied by a large diamond ornament.
In ancient times, pearls were a favorite decoration of crosses;
frequently an entire cross was made up of pearls, either of a single or
a double row. Many portraits dating from the fifteenth to the
seventeenth century show the cross used in connection with a necklace,
this either starting from the top of the cross or from each side at the
end of each arm. Sometimes from below the arms and the lower part of the
cross there hung pendant either round or pear-shaped pearls. We have
other instances where at the top, the cross was attached to a pearl
necklace, while below each of the two arms there hung a pearl, and from
the lower part of the cross a double necklace again reached to the back
of the neck. Frequently a festoon collar will be made up of five rows of
pearls, each of a graduated length, and pendant on each a diamond.
Recently pearls have been drilled and invisibly joined by fine platinum
links, so as to form a continuous ribbon or even a collar two inches
wide; occasionally, a Greek border or some other design, of larger
pearls or of diamonds, rubies, sapphires or other gems, is interwoven.
This constitutes a veritable, smooth pearl cloth, or pearl mesh, very
beautiful and also comfortable to wear. Indeed, a purse, measuring five
by six inches, has been made of this cloth of pearls.
[Illustration:
Jade jar inlaid with pearls set with fine gold
Heber R. Bishop Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art
]
[Illustration:
Japanese decoration set with pearls
Order of the crown of the First Class. Metropolitan Museum of Art
]
Dust-pearls, too minute to drill, and numbering over 100,000 to the
ounce, were used, in the latter part of the eighteenth and the early
part of the nineteenth centuries, for the embellishment of the hair-work
then so much in favor and which was placed under glass. Where foliage
was represented the leaves were made of the most minute seed-pearls,
graduated in size and set on an outline of enamel or white paint, the
pearls being cemented to the outline. This added a softness to the
hair-work and other decoration.
As long as the pearl has been known, there has been a desire to obtain
possession of one in some of its degrees of perfection, and for this
reason many attempts have been made to prepare something that might pass
for a pearl or even suggest a pearl. Sometimes the mother-of-pearl shell
has, naturally, a protuberance, either round or pear-shaped, which, if
cut off and highly polished may resemble an imperfect pearl; and this
operation is often so cleverly performed that, at the first glance, this
object may pass for a true pearl. In Russia, and especially in Bohemia,
they have gone farther than this. They have cut out a bit of
mother-of-pearl shell, leaving a piece of the natural shell for the top,
or the part that will be visible, and rounding off the rest of the
surface so as to give it a pearly effect. These objects are of trifling
value and are used in necklaces and earrings, and in the ornamentation
of icons and miniature frames and even as beads. Glass with either an
exterior or interior coating of a nacreous substance is sometimes made
absolutely round, while at other times it is made with many
imperfections so as to resemble either a marine baroque or a fresh-water
irregular pearl. The North American Indian, as described elsewhere, has
coated little balls of clay with a powder made from a pearl-bearing
fresh-water mussel and then baked them.
XVI
FAMOUS PEARLS AND COLLECTIONS
XVI
FAMOUS PEARLS AND COLLECTIONS
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly
pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and
sold all that he had and bought it.
_St. Matthew_, XIII, 45, 46.
In the course of twenty centuries many pearls and pearl collections have
become famous, either because of their intrinsic value or else through
historic associations. An attempt is made here to list briefly the more
important of these. While we have purposely omitted any mention of the
pearl collections in private hands at the present time, some of which
are more valuable than many of those noted in the following pages, we
have, nevertheless, given the principal sales of pearls at auction
during the past twenty years. Many specimens of remarkable size and
beauty have changed hands in this way, more especially in England.
CLEOPATRA PEARLS. Next to that “pearl of great price,” mentioned by
Christ, probably the most famous of all pearls were the two which Pliny
records as having been worn in the ears of Cleopatra, “the singular and
onely jewels of the world and even Nature’s wonder.” This writer does
not note their size, but estimates their value at sixty million
sestertii. We have already quoted the passage in which Pliny relates how
one of these pearls was dissolved and swallowed by Cleopatra in order to
win a wager she had made with Antony. After the death of that queen the
other pearl “was cut in twaine, that in memoriall of that one halfe
supper of theirs, it should remaine unto posterite, hanging at both the
eares of Venus at Rome in the temple of Pantheon.”[480] Budé estimated
the value of the pearl dedicated to Venus at 250,000 _escus_ of
gold.[481]
Another famous pearl mentioned by Pliny was the one which Julius Cæsar
presented to Servilia, mother of Brutus, the value of which he notes as
six million sestertii.[482]
PEROZ PEARL. The historian Procopius,[483] of the sixth century, tells
of a magnificent pearl which belonged to Peroz, or Firuz (459–484), one
of the Sassanian kings of Persia. In the course of his disastrous battle
with the White Huns, in which both he and his sons perished, Peroz,
having a presentiment of the misfortune about to befall him, took the
pearl from his right ear and cast it away, lest any one should wear it
after him. This pearl is described as being “such as no king had ever
worn up to that time.” Procopius, however, thinks it more probable that
the ear of Peroz was cut off in the combat, and he states that the
emperor (Zeno, 426–491) was very anxious to buy the gem from the Huns,
but that all search for it was in vain. Nevertheless, a rumor was
current that it was recovered later, but that another pearl was
substituted for it and sold to Kobad, a successor of Peroz.
A different version is given by Panciroli,[484] who quotes Zonaras, a
Byzantine historian of the twelfth century, as his authority. According
to this version Justinian the Great, who succeeded to the throne
forty-three years after the death of Peroz, offered one hundred pounds
of gold (about $25,000) for the pearl, but the barbarians refused to
part with it, preferring to keep it as a memorial of Persian folly. On
the coins of Peroz he is represented wearing an earring with three
pendants, one of which may have been this wonderful pearl.
CHARLES THE BOLD. One of the greatest jewels of the fifteenth century
was that belonging to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433–1477).
According to notes and drawings[485] made in 1555 by J. J. Fugger of
Nuremberg, who was the banker jeweler of his generation, this consisted
of a large pyramid diamond five eighths of an inch square at the base,
with the apex cut as a four-rayed star in relief; surrounding this were
three rectangular pyramid-shaped rubies and three magnificent
pear-shaped pearls, and a large ovate pearl was suspended from the
lowest ruby. The pear pearls are described as measuring half an inch in
diameter and must have weighed about sixty grains each. This magnificent
jewel was probably the most celebrated in Europe during the fifteenth
century. According to Comines, on the defeat of the Grand Duke and the
plundering of his baggage by the Swiss at Granson in 1476, the ornament
was found by a careless soldier who tossed it away, but retained the
gold box containing it. On second thought, he searched for and recovered
the jewel and sold it to a priest for one florin, and the ecclesiastic
sold it to a Bernese government official for the sum of three florins.
Some years later this jewel, together with the ducal cap of Charles the
Bold, which was covered with pearls, and bore a plume case, set with
diamonds (points), alternating with pearls and balas-rubies, was sold by
the Bernese government to Jacob Fugger, as related by J. J. Fugger in
the manuscript above noted, “for no more than 47,000 florins.” In the
vain hope that it would be purchased by Emperor Charles V, grandson of
Charles the Bold, Fugger held the jewel for many years, but he broke up
the cap and reset the stones in it for Maximilian II. The brooch was
finally sold to Henry VIII of England just before his death, and it
passed to his daughter and successor, Bloody Mary, who presented it to
her Spanish bridegroom, Philip. Thus, after seventy-six years, the jewel
was restored to a descendant of the original owner. This history has
been given at some length owing to its illustration of the manner in
which great pearls were easily lost on battle-fields and were passed
about from one country to another.
[Illustration:
GAIKWAR OF BARODA, 1908
]
TARAREQUI PEARLS. The early American fisheries yielded several
magnificent pearls, many of which eventually became part of the imperial
Spanish jewels. Prominent among these was the _Huerfana_ or _Sola_.
According to Gomara, this was secured in 1515 from the Indians at
Tararequi, in the Gulf of Panama, in a large collection which weighed
880 ounces. It was pear-shaped and weighed thirty-one carats. Gomara
states that this pearl was purchased from Gaspar de Morales, leader of
the Spanish expedition, by a merchant, for the sum of 12,000 castilians.
“The purchaser could not sleep that night for thinking on the fact that
he had given so much money for one stone, and sold it the very next day
to Pedrarias de Avila, for his wife Donna Isabel de Bovadilla”; and
afterward it passed to Isabella, wife of Emperor Charles V (1500–1558).
It was remarkable for its luster, color, and clearness, as well as for
its size. Another large pearl in this collection weighed twenty-six
carats.
OVIEDO PEARL. As already noted on page 237, in his “Historia natural y
general de las Indias,” published at Toledo in 1526, Gonzalo de Oviedo
wrote of having purchased at Panama a pearl weighing twenty-six carats
for which he paid 650 times its weight in fine gold, and which he
claimed was the “greatest, fairest and roundest” that had ever been seen
at Panama. Probably this was the twenty-six-carat pearl obtained at
Tararequi by Gaspar de Morales in 1515. At 650 times its weight in gold
the value of this pearl would be $2294.54; representing a base of $.2124
per grain; but at a base of $5 per grain the same pearl would be worth
$54,080, equaling 15,320 times its weight in gold.
TEMPLE OF TALOMECO. Among great collections of pearls, some writers
would place that described by Garcilasso de la Vega as having been found
by De Soto and his followers in 1540 in the Temple of Talomeco near the
Savannah River in America.[486] According to Garcilasso, the quantity of
pearls there was so great that 300 horses and 900 men would not have
sufficed for its transportation, vastly excelling every other if not all
other collections in the history of the world. Unfortunately the
accuracy of this account has not been unquestioned.
LA PEREGRINA. Most celebrated among the early American pearls was La
Peregrina (the incomparable), or the Philip II pearl, which weighed 134
grains. According to Garcilasso de la Vega, who says that he saw it at
Seville in 1597,[487] this was found at Panama in 1560 by a negro who
was rewarded with his liberty, and his owner with the office of alcalde
of Panama. Other authorities note that it came from the Venezuelan
fisheries in 1574. It was carried to Spain by Don Diego de Temes, who
presented it to Philip II (1527–1598). Jacques de Treco, court jeweler
to the king, is credited with saying that it might be worth 30,000,
50,000 or 100,000 ducats, as one might choose to estimate, for in fact
it was so remarkable as to be beyond any standard valuation. If we can
credit Garcilasso, at one time this pearl decorated the crown of the
Blessed Virgin in the church of Guadeloupe, which was resplendent with
gems.[488] A contemporaneous account[489] notes that it was worn at
Madrid by Queen Margarita, wife of Philip III, at the fêtes given in
celebration of the treaty of peace between that country and England in
1605.
CHARLES II PEARL. Somewhat similar to the foregoing was the pearl of
Charles II of Spain (1661–1700), which was presented to that monarch by
Don Pedro de Aponte, Conde del Palmer, a native of the Canaries. This
gem was found in 1691, or more than a century after La Peregrina. These
two pearls were nearly equal in size, and for many years they were worn
as earrings by the successive queens of Spain. It is reported that they
were destroyed in 1734, when a large portion of the old palace at Madrid
was burned.[490]
[Illustration:
MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS
The property of the Earl of Leven and Melville. About 1559–1560
]
The jewels of the Spanish crown have passed through so many vicissitudes
that it is not surprising that but few of them remain in the Spanish
treasury. After the overthrow of the Spanish monarchy by the French in
1808, Ferdinand VII, during the time of his exile, disposed of many of
these jewels. It is asserted that, after the deposition of Queen
Isabella, in 1868, the crown jewels were divided between herself and her
sister, the pious Duchesse de Montpensier, and a considerable portion
was eventually distributed among the numerous descendants of the latter.
It is also stated that there is no mention of the Spanish crown jewels
during the reign of King Amadeus, the first sovereign of the restored
monarchy. There are, however, great quantities of pearls and other gems
belonging to the various madonnas in the Spanish churches, as, for
example, Nuestra Señora de Atocha, Cavadonga and others.
PEARLS OF MARY STUART. The pearls owned by the unfortunate Mary Queen of
Scots (1542–1587) were among the most beautiful in Europe. Inventories
of these[491] show great _bordures de tour_ of large pear pearls with
_entredeux_ of round pearls, long ropes of pearls strung like beads on a
rosary, carcans or broad belts set with pearls, and a large number of
loose pearls. Many of these appear in the portraits of this popular
queen; but probably the most remarkable exhibition of them is in the
portrait now owned by the Earl of Leven and Melville,[492] which appears
to agree fairly well with the inventories of her jewels, although this
portrait is not wholly free from impeachment as to its accuracy and
contemporaneousness.
After the downfall of the queen, most of her jewels were sold, pawned,
or lost by theft. A number of them passed into the possession of Queen
Elizabeth in 1568, in a manner not wholly satisfactory to lovers of
justice. Some of these were described in a letter dated May 8, 1568, and
addressed to Catharine de’ Medici by Bodutel de la Forest, the French
ambassador at the English court, as “six cordons of large pearls, strung
as paternosters; but there are about twenty-five separate from the
others much larger and more beautiful than those which are strung. They
were first shown to three or four jewelers and lapidaries of this city,
who estimated them at three thousand pounds sterling, and who offered to
give that sum; certain Italian merchants who viewed them afterwards
valued them at 12,000 _escus_, which is the price, as I am told, this
queen [Elizabeth] will take them at. There is a Genevese who saw them
after the others and estimated them as worth 16,000 _escus_
[$24,000].”[493]
Catharine de’ Medici, who was a mother-in-law of Mary Stuart, was very
anxious to obtain these pearls; but the ambassador wrote on May 15,
1568, that he had found it impossible to purchase them; for, as he had
told her from the first, they were intended for the gratification of the
Queen of England, who had purchased them at her own price, and was even
then in possession of them.[494]
QUEEN ELIZABETH’S PEARLS. Although in her youth she is said to have had
a distaste for personal decorations, in her later years Queen Elizabeth
entertained an extravagant fondness for pearls. In speaking of her
portraits, Horace Walpole says: “A pale Roman nose, a head of hair
loaded with crowns and powdered with diamonds, a vast ruff, a vaster
fardingale, and a bushel of pearls, are features by which everybody
knows at once the pictures of Queen Elizabeth.”[495] And to the end, her
love for them was unabated, for in the last tragi-comic scene of her
life, to meet the Angel of Death himself, she was dressed up in her most
splendid jewels with great pearl necklaces and earrings and pendants, as
Paul Delaroche so successfully pictured in his remarkable painting in
the Louvre.
The faded waxwork effigy of her, long preserved in Westminster Abbey in
that curious collection of effigies[496]—the “Ragged Regiment,” as
Walpole called them—has a coronet of large spherical pearls in wax, long
necklaces of them, a great pearl-ornamented stomacher, pearl earrings
with large pear-shaped pendants, and even broad, pearl medallions on the
shoe-bows. In accordance with that singular custom which prevailed from
the time of Henry V (1422), to that of Queen Anne (1714),[497] this
effigy lay on her coffin at the funeral and caused, says Stow in his
Chronicle, “such a general sighing, groning, and weeping, as the like
hath not beene seene or knowne in the memory of man.” A contemporaneous
poet wrote that when the corpse with the effigy passed down the Thames
to lie in state at Whitehall,
Fish wept their eyes of pearl quite out,
And swam blind after.
GRESHAM PEARL. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Thomas Gresham,
the merchant prince, was credited with possessing a pearl valued at
£15,000, which he reduced to powder and drank in a glass of wine to the
health of the queen, in order to astonish the Spanish ambassador, with
whom he had laid a wager that he would give a more costly dinner than
could the Spaniards.[498] No other information regarding this pearl
seems available. The valuation certainly appears excessive when compared
with that of some other pearls of that period.
We quote an item from Burgon,[499] taken from the manuscript journal
kept by Edward VI:
25 [April, 1551]. A bargaine made with the Fulcare for about 60,000
l. that in May and August should be paid, for the deferring of it.
First, that the Foulcare should put it off for ten in the hundred.
Secondly, that I should buy 12,000 marks weight at 6 shilinges the
ounce to be delivered at Antwerpe, and so conveyed over. Thirdly, I
should pay 100,000 crowns for a very faire juel of his, four rubies
marvelous big, one orient and great diamount, and one great pearle.
RUDOLPH II PEARLS. The scientific, art-loving, but eccentric Rudolph II
(1552–1612), Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, gathered about him at
Prague a great collection of jewels and wealth of all sorts. The values
of his pearls and precious stones, of the gold and silver articles, was
estimated by the archæologist, Jules Cæsar Boulenger, at seventeen
millions of gold florins, which was a very considerable sum at that
time, as appears when we consider that one hundred gold florins annually
was deemed a good salary for an official at the emperor’s court. De Boot
mentions a pearl belonging to Rudolph II which weighed “thirty carats
and cost as many thousands of gold pieces.” It is quite likely that this
was the one noted by Gomara as coming from the Gulf of Panama,[500] and
which Rudolph probably inherited from his grandfather, Emperor Charles
V. The pearl bought by Oviedo in Panama, prior to 1526, may be one of
the principal decorations of the imperial crown of Austria.
We read in that curious and interesting book, “The Generall Historie of
the Turkes,” by Richard Knolles,[501] that Abbas the Great, Shah of
Persia (1557–1628), after having defeated the Turks in many battles,
desired to form an alliance with Emperor Rudolph II, and to induce him
to break his engagements with the Turks. To this end Shah Abbas, in 1610
sent an embassy to Prague, with many valuable gifts for the emperor,
among which were “three orientall pearles exceeding big.” It has been
conjectured, and it is also claimed, that these may be three of the
eight pear-shaped pearls which are now to be seen in the crown of
Rudolph II. One of the largest pearls in the Austrian crown, as we have
stated, is most probably the Oviedo pearl.
CHARLES I PEARL. Admirers of Vandyke’s pictures of Charles I (1600–1649)
readily recall the pearl pendant from his right ear, which appears in
nearly all of his portraits by that artist. Janin wrote: “This pearl in
the ear of his majesty was greatly coveted, and as soon as his head had
fallen, the witnesses of the dreadful scene rushed forward, ready to
imbue their hands in his blood in order to secure the royal jewel.” It
seems more probable that the martyr king would have left this gem in the
hands of a trusty friend for his family than to the risk of injury by
the ax and to be torn from his mutilated head by a scrambling mob.
OWING to their control of the great fisheries, the most valuable
collections of pearls have been held by eastern monarchs, and
particularly by those of India and Persia. It has been estimated that
one third of the portable wealth of these countries is in jewels. Most
Orientals are as suspicious of interest in their jewels as they are of
inquiry regarding their harems, imagining, doubtless, that the interest
conceals a sentiment of cupidity, hence it is not practicable to give a
minute description of them. However, several travelers have recorded
glowing accounts of collections which they have examined, which read
much like a description of Aladdin’s palace in the Arabian Nights. Among
these, some of the greatest are the
PEARLS DESCRIBED BY TAVERNIER. For accounts of remarkable pearls in
eastern countries in the seventeenth century, we are indebted to that
well-informed old French jeweler, Tavernier, one of the most remarkable
gem dealers the world has ever known. He made numerous journeys to
Persia, Turkey, Central Asia, and the East Indies, gaining the
confidence of the highest officials and trading in gems of the greatest
value. After amassing a large fortune and purchasing a barony near Lake
Geneva, he died at Moscow in 1689 while on a mercantile trip to the
Orient, at the age of eighty-four years. His “Voyages,” published in
1676–1679, reveal a critical knowledge of gems, a remarkable insight
into human nature, and the absence of any intention to impart misleading
information.
In the first English edition of his travels, published in 1678,
Tavernier gave sketches of five of the principal pearls which came under
his careful observation.
Figure 1 of Tavernier’s diagram shows what he considered “the largest
and most perfect pearl ever discovered, and without the least defect.”
The weight of this pear-shaped gem does not appear to have been noted,
but from the sketch it may be estimated at about 500 grains. Tavernier
states that the bloodthirsty Shah Sofi, King of Persia, purchased it in
1633 from an Arab who had just received it from the fisheries at El
Katif. “It cost him 32,000 tomans, or 1,400,000 livres of our money, at
the rate of 46 livres and 6 deniers per toman ($552,000).”[502]
[Illustration:
QUEEN ELIZABETH OF ENGLAND
]
[Illustration:
ELIZABETH OF FRANCE
]
Very much smaller but more beautiful than this great pearl, was the one
which Tavernier saw in 1670 at Ormus in the possession of the Imam of
Muscat, who had recently recovered the Muscat peninsula from the
Portuguese. The jeweler stated that although this weighed only twelve
and one sixteenth carats (forty-eight and a quarter grains),[503] and
was not perfectly round, it surpassed in beauty all others in the world
at that time. It was so clear and lustrous as to appear translucent. At
the conclusion of a grand entertainment given by the Khan of Ormus, at
which Tavernier was present, the Prince of Muscat drew this gem from a
small purse suspended about his neck, and exhibited it to the company.
The Khan of Ormus offered 2000 tomans (about $34,500) for it, but the
owner would not part with his treasure. Tavernier states that later the
prince refused an offer of 40,000 _escus_ ($45,000) from Aurangzeb, the
Great Mogul of India.[504]
Figure 3 in the diagram represents a pear-shaped pearl of fifty-five
carats (220 grains) which Tavernier sold to Shaista Khan, uncle of the
Grand Mogul. Although of large size and good shape, this was deficient
in luster. According to the jeweler, this pearl was from the Island of
Margarita on the Venezuelan coast, and was the largest ever carried from
Occident to Orient.
Tavernier listed among the Great Mogul’s jewels a large olive-shaped
pearl, perfect in form and luster. The weight was not noted, but from
the sketch which he gave (see Fig. 4) it may be estimated at about 125
grains. It formed the central ornament of a chain of emeralds and
rubies, which the Mogul sometimes wore about his neck. He also listed a
round pearl of perfect form (see Fig. 5). The weight of this also is not
noted, but from the sketch it may be estimated at 110 grains. This was
the largest perfectly spherical pearl known to Tavernier. Its equal had
never been found, and for that reason it was kept with the unmounted
jewels.
Among the other pearl treasures of the Great Mogul, Tavernier noted the
following:
(a) Two grand, pear-shaped pearls, one weighing about seventy
ratis,[505] a little flattened on both sides, and of beautiful water and
good form. (b) A button-shaped pearl, weighing from fifty-five to sixty
ratis, of good form and good water. (c) A round pearl of great
perfection, a little flat on one side and weighing fifty-six ratis; this
had been presented to the Great Mogul by Shah Abbas II, King of Persia.
(d) Three round yellowish pearls weighing from twenty-five to
twenty-eight ratis each. (e) A perfectly round pearl, thirty-five and a
half ratis, white and perfect in all respects. This was the only jewel
purchased by the Great Mogul himself, the others being inherited or
coming to him as presents. (f) Two pearls perfectly shaped and equal,
each weighing twenty-five and a quarter ratis. (g) Also two chains, one
of pearls and rubies of different shapes pierced like the pearls; the
other of pearls and emeralds, round and bored. All of these pearls were
round and ranged in weight from ten to twelve ratis each.[506]
PEACOCK THRONE. The famous Takht-i-Tâ’ûs, or “Peacock Throne,” at Delhi
doubtless contained the greatest accumulation of gems in the seventeenth
century. It was completed, in the eighth year of his reign (1044 A.H.,
1634 A.D.) by Shah Jehan, greatest of Mogul sovereigns, who likewise
built the Taj Mahal at Agra, one of the most beautiful edifices ever
designed by man. Abd-al-Hamid, of Lahore, in his Pâd-shâh-nâmah, “Book
of the King,” composed prior to 1654, writes as follows:[507]
In the course of years many valuable gems had come into the imperial
jewel house, each one of which might serve as an ear-drop for Venus
or as an adornment for the girdle of the Sun. Upon the accession of
the emperor, it occurred to him that, in the opinion of far-seeing
men the acquisition of such rare jewels and the keeping of such
wonderful brilliants could render but one service, that of adorning
the throne of the empire. They ought, therefore, to be put to such a
use that beholders might benefit by their splendour and that majesty
might shine with increased brilliancy.
As described by Tavernier in 1676, great quantities of pearls were used
in the ornamentation of this throne, the arched roof, the supporting
pillars, the adjacent sun-umbrellas, being well covered with these gems,
many of them of great value. The choicest one was pear-shaped, yellowish
in color, and weighed about fifty carats (200 grains);[508] this was
suspended from a great ruby which ornamented the breast of the peacock.
“But that which in my opinion is the most costly thing about this
magnificent throne is that the twelve columns supporting the canopy are
surrounded with beautiful rows of pearls, which are round and of fine
water, and weigh from 6 to 10 carats each [24 to 40 grains].”[509] The
total value of the jewels entering into the ornamentation was estimated
at 160,500,000 livres or $60,187,500; and the present value of the
throne as it stands in the shah’s palace at Teheran, whither it was
carried by Nadir Shah from the sack of Delhi in 1739, even though
divested of many of its most valuable gems, is estimated at
$13,000,000.[510] The designer of the Peacock Throne was Austin de
Bordeaux, who also planned the magnificent Taj Mahal. He was named by
Shah Jehan, “Jewel-Handed,” and received a salary of two thousand rupees
a month.
SHAH’S “TIPPET.” Sir Harford Jones Brydges’ description of the jewels of
the Shah of Persia at Teheran is of particular value, since he had
formerly dealt in jewels and was an expert in such matters. He says:
I was particularly struck with the king’s tippet, a covering for
part of his back, his shoulders and his arms, which is only used on
the very highest occasions. It is a piece of pearl work of the most
beautiful pattern; the pearls are worked on velvet, but they stand
so close together that little, if any, of the velvet is visible. It
took me a good hour to examine this single article, which I have no
fear of saying can not be matched in the world. There was not a
single pearl employed in forming this most gorgeous trapping less in
size than the largest marrow-fat pea I ever saw raised in England,
and many—I should suppose from 150 to 200—the size of a wild plum,
and throughout the whole of these pearls, it would puzzle the best
jeweler who should examine them most critically to discover in more
than 4 or 5 a serious fault. The tassel is formed of pearls of the
most uncommon size and beauty; and the emerald which forms the top
of the tassel is perhaps the largest perfect one in the world....
For some days after I had seen these jewels, I attempted to make an
estimate of their value, but I got so confused in the recollection
of their weight and the allowance to be made in some of them for
their perfection in water and color, that I gave it up as
impossible. I cannot, however, think I shall much mislead if I say
that on a moderate, perhaps a low calculation, their value cannot be
less than fifteen millions [sterling?] of our money.[511]
SHAH’S PEARLS IN 1820. Nearly a century ago the elaborate state costume
of the Shah of Persia was described by the English artist, Sir Robert
Ker Porter. In this description he mentioned particularly the pearls in
the tiara, the pear-shaped pearls of immense size with which the plumes
were tipped, the two strings of pearls—“probably the largest in the
world”—which crossed the king’s shoulders, and the large cushion incased
in a network of beautiful pearls against which he reclined.[512]
PEARLS OF THE GAIKWAR OF BARODA. Among the greatest jeweled treasures of
India are those of the present Mahratta Gaikwar of Baroda, who has
precedence over all the rulers in India at all functions, and is one of
the most prominent and enlightened of the Indian princes. He governs a
province of about 8225 square miles and 2,415,396 inhabitants in the
northwestern part of India, 248 miles north of Bombay. Most of these
treasures, whose value is estimated at a dozen million dollars, were
collected by his predecessor, Mahratta Khandarao, who lived in barbaric
splendor, and they are rarely worn by the present gaikwar. These
treasures include a sash of one hundred rows of pearls, terminating in a
great tassel of pearls and emeralds; seven rows of superb pearls whose
value is estimated at half a million dollars; a litter set with
seed-pearls, quantities of unstrung pearls, and more remarkable yet, a
shawl or carpet of pearls, which closely resembles the “tippet” at
Teheran described by Brydge. This carpet is said to be ten and one half
feet long by six feet wide, and to be made up of strings of pearls,
except that a border, eleven inches wide, and also center ornaments, are
worked out in diamonds. Some writers assert that this costly ornament
was originally intended by the late Mahratta Khandarao as a covering for
the tomb of Mohammed. Others state that it was designed as a present for
a woman of whom he was enamoured, but that the British resident
interfered, claiming that the wealth of Baroda was not sufficient to
warrant such an expensive gift on the part of the ruler. This ornament
is now retained among the regalia at Baroda, and is probably the most
costly pearl ornament in the world, its value being estimated at several
million dollars.
SUMMER PALACE IN 1860. Many superb pearls were among the precious
objects in the Yuen-Min-Yuen or Summer Palace in Pekin at the time of
its capture by the European forces in 1860. Numbers of these were lost
in the confusion of the sacking and plunder, when the soldiers’ pockets
were filled and the floors were strewn with jewels, beautiful objects of
gold and silver, rich silks and furs, carved jade, lapis lazuli, etc.
Some of the pearls found their way to Europe, and especially to France
and England. They were of good size and luster and were mostly yellowish
in color. Unfortunately, many were crudely drilled with large holes, and
had been strung on gold wires by which they were attached to the idols
they decorated at the time they were stolen. More than one hundred, each
over thirty grains in weight, were received in England, and sold at an
average of nearly one thousand dollars.
[Illustration:
PEARL CARPET OR SHAWL OF THE GAIKWAR OF BARODA
]
A similar booty came from the spoliation during the war between China
and Japan in 1894, and during the Boxer outbreaks of 1901, and
quantities of pearls, often large and of fine color, but a little the
worse for wear, were brought to the United States and Europe by the
soldiers and officials, and also by traders and travelers who obtained
them in China. The pendant figured is one of these objects.
THE GOGIBUS PEARL. This famous pearl, said to have been the largest in
Europe, weighed no less than 126 carats (504 grains). It was pear-shaped
and of fine orient, and was brought from the West Indies, in 1620, by
François Gogibus, a native of Calais, who sold it to Philip IV of Spain.
As no match could be found for this magnificent gem, it was mounted as a
button in the royal cap.[513]
LA REINE DES PERLES. The large round pearl of the French crown jewels
which is listed in the inventory of 1791 at 200,000 francs, was
purchased in 1669[514] for the sum of 40,000 livres, from a gem dealer
named Bazu, who had traveled in the East at about the time of
Tavernier’s voyage. In the inventory of 1691, it is described as “a
virgin pearl, perfect, round, and of fine water,” weighing 27½ carats
and valued at 90,000 livres. When the greater part of the jewels were
stolen from the Garde-Meuble in 1792, we are told that the thieves took
a pearl inclosed in a gold box on which was written: “The queen of
pearls.” This was most probably the one we have described and there is
reason to believe that this same pearl came later into the possession of
the Zozima brothers, and was called La Pellegrina.
LA RÉGENTE. This name was bestowed upon a big, ovate pearl which was in
the collection of the French crown jewels. This pearl, which weighs 337
grains, was furnished in November, 1811, by the court jewelers, Messrs.
Noitat, for a tiara, worn by Marie Louise, Empress of France. By order
of the emperor, Napoleon III, the pearl was taken out of the tiara and
mounted, in August, 1853, by the Paris jeweler Lemounier into a brooch.
This great brooch, with “La Régente” as the central gem, was bought by
Faberge & Company of St. Petersburg, Russia, for the Princess
Youssoupoff at the “Vente des Diamants de la Couronne” in 1887.
LA PELLEGRINA. For nearly a century there has been in Russia one of the
most lovely pearls in the world; this is La Pellegrina, formerly owned
by the Zozima brothers of Moscow, who were antiquarians of note in St.
Petersburg. In 1818 a small book of forty-eight pages was written about
this beautiful gem by G. Fischer de Waldheim, vice-president of the
Imperial Medico-Chirurgical Academy, probably the only book ever devoted
to a single pearl. According to this writer, La Pellegrina was purchased
at Leghorn by one of the Zozima brothers from an English admiral who had
just returned from India. It combines all the requisites of perfection:
it is absolutely spherical and has never been pierced; its luster, its
silvery sheen, make it appear almost transparent, and for a pearl of
this high grade, it is of remarkable size, weighing 111½ grains.
The Zozima brothers retained it in a sea-urchin shell mounted in gold
and with a convex lens as cover; this was contained in a silver box, and
this in turn in another box studded with gems. Although the lens
enlarged the appearance of the pearl, it detracted from its beautiful
form, giving it an oval shape. But when removed from the triple
inclosure, it rolled about like a globule of quicksilver, and surpassed
that metal in whiteness and brilliancy.
Everything that is beautiful and perfect takes such possession of
the beholder that words become insufficient to express his feelings;
and that is what happened to me in the case of La Pellegrina of
Zozima. One must have seen an object of this kind in order to
appreciate the impression it makes. As an evidence of this, I shall
note the last visit which I made to the owner in company with
several distinguished persons.
After having examined many curious medals and coins, and also some
pearls which exceeded in size the one of which I treat, and after
they had received their due meed of admiration, La Pellegrina
appeared, rolled upon a sheet of paper by the owner’s little finger.
Attention and admiration was depicted on every face; a perfect
silence reigned. It was only when the pearl had been removed very
carefully lest it should slip away, and was again triply enclosed,
that we recovered the power of speech and could unanimously express
our admiration.[515]
As it had been stated that this pearl was in the possession of the
Princess Youssoupoff, Mr. Henry W. Hiller of New York, who was in St.
Petersburg, courteously made inquiries and was successful in obtaining a
view of the two splendid pear-shaped pearls. These are almost exactly
alike, but neither of them can well be La Pellegrina, since this is a
round pearl; possibly the one on the right may be La Peregrina.[516]
[Illustration:
THE HOPE PEARL. WEIGHS 1800 GRAINS
Actual size
]
The owner of La Pellegrina in 1818, Z. P. Zozima, died in Moscow at a
great age, in 1827. He was a Greek dealer in curiosities and gems, who
had resided in Moscow for a long time, and had many clients among the
nobility of Russia. It is stated that a few months before his death the
best pieces of his collection, including La Pellegrina, were stolen from
him by a compatriot.
MOSCOW PEARL, 1840. The German traveler, Johann Georg Kohl (1808–1878),
in the account of his travels in Russia, relates an interesting incident
connected with a beautiful pearl in the Imperial Treasury. Shortly
previous to 1840, a rich Moscow merchant died in a convent, whither he
had retreated after the manner of the wealthy pious ones of his nation.
Feeling the approach of age, he had given up the toils of business to
his sons. His wife was dead, and the only beloved object which even in
the cloister was not separated from him was a large, beautiful, oriental
pearl. This precious object had been purchased for him by some Persian
or Arabian friend at a high price, and, enchanted by its water,
magnificent size, and color, its perfect shape and luster, he would
never part with it, however enormous the sum offered. He himself
inhabited an ordinary cell in the convent; but this object of his love
reposed on silk in a golden casket. It was shown to few persons, and
favorable circumstances and strong recommendations were necessary to
obtain such a favor. A Moscow resident reported the style and manner of
the ceremony. On the appointed day he went with his friends to the
convent, and found the old gentleman awaiting his guests in his holiday
clothes. Their reception had something of solemnity about it. The old
man went into his cell and brought out the casket in its rich covering.
He spread white satin on the table, and, unlocking the casket, let the
precious pearl roll out before the enchanted eyes of the spectators. No
one ventured to touch it, but all burst into acclamations, and the old
man’s eyes gleamed like his pearl. After a short time it was returned to
the casket. During his last illness, the old gentleman never let the
pearl out of his hand, and after his death it was with difficulty taken
from his stiffened fingers.
There seems to be a great similarity between the description of this
pearl and that of La Pellegrina, although we have been unable to verify
our surmise as to their identity.
THE HOPE PEARL. In the first half of the last century, Henry Philip
Hope, a London banker, brought together a great collection of gems,
among which were many pearls. The most famous of these was the
often-described Hope pearl, one of the largest known; the value of
which, however, is not in proportion to its size, owing to its irregular
formation. As described in the catalogue of the Hope collection,
published in 1839, this oriental pearl is of an irregular pear-shape,
weighs 1800 grains, or three ounces, measures two inches in length, and
in circumference four and one half inches at the broadest and three and
one fourth inches at the narrowest end. The color at the larger end is
of a bronze or a dark green copper tint, this gradually clearing into a
fine white luster for within one and one half inches of the smaller end.
This baroque pearl was firmly attached to the shell, and it yet shows
the point of attachment, which has been polished so as to correspond to
the remaining portion. It is attractively mounted, the smaller end being
capped with an arched crown of red enameled gold set with diamonds,
rubies, and emeralds.[517] After remaining in the Hope jewel collection
at the South Kensington Museum for many years, it was sold at auction,
at Christie’s, in 1886, when that collection was placed on the market.
This pearl is now held by Messrs. Garrard & Company of London, at the
price of £9000.
The Hope collection also contained about 148 pearls of good form.
Notable among these were the following: (a) a conical pearl weighing
151 grains, cream-white in color, from Polynesia; (b) a bouton pearl
of 124 grains, bluish-white at the top and encircled by a dark bronze
color; (c) an oval cream-colored pearl, weighing ninety-four grains,
from the South Seas; (d) an eighty-nine-grain, roughly spherical
pearl, one side bluish and the other of a light bronze; (e) an
eighty-five-grain, acorn-shaped, bluish-white pearl, with a band of
opaque white near the base; (f) an oval conch pearl, pink in general
color and somewhat whitish at the ends, weighing eighty-two and one
fourth grains; (g) another conch pearl, seventy-seven and one half
grains, button-shaped, yellowish white with a slight shade of pink;
(h) a seventy-six-and-one-half-grain drop-shaped pearl of a
_chatoyant_ aspect, of white color shaded with red, purple, and green;
and (i) a pear-shaped Scottish pearl of thirty-four and three fourths
grains, of a milky bluish caste, slightly tinged with pink.
VAN BUREN PEARLS. Among the collections of the United States National
Museum are two pendant pearls each weighing about thirty grains, and a
necklace containing 148 pearls with an aggregate weight of 700 grains.
These were presented in 1840 to President Van Buren by the Imam of
Muscat. They were deposited in the vaults of the Treasury Department,
where they remained until a few years ago, when, by the order of the
Secretary of the Treasury, they were transferred to the custody of the
National Museum where they now are.
[Illustration:
HER GRACE, THE DUCHESS OF MARLBOROUGH
]
THIERS NECKLACE. In the galleries of the Louvre at Paris may be seen a
pearl necklace formerly owned by the wife of President Thiers
(1797–1887), consisting of 145 pearls in three rows. The weights of the
three largest individual pearls are fifty-one, thirty-nine, and
thirty-six grains, respectively. The aggregate weight is 2079 grains,
and the value at the time of their deposit was estimated at 300,000
francs. This is on a base of $2.02; at a higher valuation the figures
would be:
$148,947 = $71.64 per grain; base, $5
238,315 = 114.63 per grain; base, 8
the last being very probably nearer to the correct value of the necklace
at the present time.
TIFFANY QUEEN PEARL. Doubtless the most famous pearl ever found within
the limits of the United States, and likewise one of the choicest, is
the well-known “Queen Pearl,” found in Notch Brook near Paterson, New
Jersey, in 1857.[518] In form it is a perfect sphere, and weighs
ninety-three grains. The history of the discovery and of the sale of
this beautiful gem is set forth on page 260.
THE BAPST PEARLS. Very practical is the account given by Streeter of a
pair of magnificent spherical pearls exhibited at the Paris Exhibition
in 1878 by Messrs. Bapst of Paris. One of these pearls—then weighing 116
grains—was purchased by Mr. Streeter in 1877, and by him sold to a
leading merchant of London, who skilfully removed a blemish on it,
reducing it to 113¾ grains in weight. After holding it for some months,
it occurred to him that it would match a pearl sold by Hunt and Roskell
to Dhuleep Singh about fifteen years previously. On comparison, the two
were found to match perfectly, one weighing 113¾ and the other 113¼
grains. The two were eventually sold early in 1878 “for £4800, which was
even then much below their value, and to-day they would be worth
£10,000. They were exhibited in the great Paris Exposition in 1878,
where they attracted universal attention, and were pronounced by
connoisseurs to be the most extraordinary pair of pearls ever seen in
Europe. They were sold from the exhibition to an individual for a very
large sum.”[519]
THE “SOUTHERN CROSS.” The “Southern Cross” is an unusual pearl or rather
cluster of pearls which attracted much attention twenty years ago. It
consists of nine attached pearls forming a Roman cross about one and one
half inches in length, seven pearls constituting the shaft or standard,
while the arms are formed by one pearl on each side of the second one
from the upper end. The luster is good, but the individual pearls are
not perfect spheres, being mutually compressed at the point of juncture
and considerably flattened at the back. If separated, the aggregate
value of the individual pearls would be small, and the celebrity of the
ornament is due almost exclusively to its form. This striking formation
was exhibited at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition at London in 1886,
and later at the Paris Exhibition in 1889, where it was the center of
interest, and obtained a gold medal for the exhibitors. It is reported
that an effort was made to bring about its sale at £10,000, the owners
suggesting that it was especially appropriate for presentation to Leo
XIII, on the occasion of his jubilee in 1896. The writers have been
unable to obtain information as to its present location.
Much information relative to the “Southern Cross” was volunteered by
Henry Taunton in the very interesting account of his wanderings in
Australia. He presents apparently reliable statements showing that it
was found on March 26, 1883, off Baldwin Creek in Lat. 17° S. and Long.
122° E., by a boy named Clark, in the employ of James W. S. Kelly, a
master pearler. When delivered to Kelly, it was in three distinct
pieces, but the boy reported that it was in one piece when he found it a
few hours before. Kelly sold it in the three pieces in which he received
it for £10 to a fellow pearler named Roy; Roy sold it for £40 to a man
named Craig, and he sold it to an Australian syndicate.
However, according to Taunton’s positive statement, there were only
eight pearls in the cluster when it was sold by Kelly in 1883, and to
make it resemble a well-proportioned cross—the right arm being
absent—another pearl of suitable size and shape was subsequently secured
at Cossack and attached in the proper place to the others, which, in the
meantime, had been refastened together by diamond cement, thus making
three artificial joints in the present cluster. “As if to assist in the
deception, nature had fashioned a hollow in the side of the central
pearl just where the added pearl would have to be fitted; and—the whole
pearling fleet with their pearls and shells coming into Cossack about
this time—it was no difficult matter to select a pearl of the right size
and with the convexity required. The holder paid some ten or twelve
pounds for the option of selecting a pearl within given limits; and then
once more, with the aid of diamond cement and that of a skilful ‘faker,’
this celebrated gem was transformed into a perfect cross.”[520]
MORGAN-TIFFANY COLLECTION. Probably the most interesting assortment of
American pearls is the Morgan-Tiffany Collection in the American Museum
of Natural History, New York. The excellence of this collection lies,
not in the high cost of any individual pearl, but in its illustrating in
a comprehensive manner the great variety, colors, and forms of American
pearls. Not only are the many varieties of fresh-water pearls
represented, but likewise abalone pearls from the Pacific coast, conch
pearls from the Gulf of Mexico, and a good assortment of pearly
concretions from edible oysters and clams of the Atlantic coast.
This collection contains 557 species of white and colored Unio pearls,
four multicolored, five mallet-shapes, 166 baroques, thirty-nine hinge
pearls, twenty pearlaceous masses, thirty-four clam (Venus) pearls,
fifteen abalone pearls, eleven conch pearls, and twelve oyster (Ostrea)
pearls. The collection was exhibited in two parts, the first at the
Paris Exposition of 1889, and the second at the Paris Exposition of
1900. On each occasion a gold medal was awarded.
COUNT BATTHYANI’S PEARL. A curious history is connected with a beautiful
black pearl[521] which was at one time in the possession of Count Louis
Batthyani, the premier of the revolutionary government of Hungary. The
count was shot in 1849, by the orders of a court-martial, and on the eve
of his execution he gave the pearl, which he had worn mounted on a
scarf-pin, to his trusty and faithful valet. The latter left it to his
son, who, when in straightened circumstances, sought to raise money upon
the pearl. The pawnbroker of the small town was distrustful of its value
and took it to Budapest for appraisal. There the suspicions of the
authorities were aroused, an investigation was ordered, and it was
finally discovered that the pearl had been stolen one hundred and fifty
years before from the English crown. The English government redeemed it
for the sum of £2500 ($12,500). How it came into the possession of Count
Batthyani is a mystery; probably he purchased it from some antiquarian.
In 1900 there was shown in Paris one of the most important black pearls
of any time, a pear-shaped pearl of forty-nine grains, of a most
wonderful black color with a green sheen, as perfectly formed as though
it had been turned out of a lathe; it did not terminate in a point at
the small end, but was slightly flattened. It was so beautiful an object
that it almost seemed it should never be drilled for mounting. This
pearl ultimately sold for more than $30,000, and it is probably the
finest black pearl that has ever reached the European markets.
According to a personal communication from E. Z. Steever, governor of
the District of Sulu, the largest pearl that he has seen in the islands
belongs to the sultan, and is now in the possession of Hadji Butu,
former prime minister. It is an oblate spheroid, there being a trifling
difference between the two diameters. The upper hemisphere is very
beautiful; the lower one has a few minute, black specks which are
superficial and could be easily removed, the pearl not having been
treated since it was taken from the oyster. This pearl measures five
eighths of an inch at its greatest diameter and is said to weigh twelve
carats (forty-eight grains). Hadji Butu informed Governor Steever that
the sultan had refused $25,000 for the pearl in Singapore.
The Nordica pearl is the finest abalone of which we have any record. It
weighs 175 grains, is a drop pearl of a greenish hue, with brilliant red
fire-like flashes, and serves as a pendant to the famous collection of
colored pearls belonging to the beloved and admired American prima
donna, Madam Nordica.
At the International Exposition in Paris in 1889, Mr. Alphonse Falco,
president of the Chambre Syndicale, exhibited a round pearl, white and
lustrous, weighing seventy grains, and valued at 50,000 francs.
Augusto Castellani, the well-known Italian jeweler of Rome, in the year
1868, during the Papal regime, executed a crown for King Victor Emmanuel
II. This crown was destined for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in
Jerusalem, and on it is a pearl which, although slightly irregular, is
as large as the famous Gogibus pearl.
A remarkable golden-yellow pearl from Shark’s Bay, West Australia, is in
the possession of a New York lady; it weighs thirty and one half grains,
is perfectly round, and is without a flaw or blemish.
CROWN JEWELS OF FRANCE. The collection of gems known as the Crown Jewels
of France owed its origin to Francis I (1494–1547). While in Bordeaux,
on his way to meet his bride, Eleanor of Austria, sister of Emperor
Charles V, Francis created by letter patent the Treasure of the Crown
Jewels, giving to the state a number of his most valued diamonds, under
the condition that at each change of sovereign a careful inventory
should be made. The original collection consisted of six pieces of
jewelry valued at 272,242 “_écus soleil_,” or about $700,000. The crown
jewels have passed through many vicissitudes in the course of time. A
number of the gems were at various times pledged as security for loans
made in France and Italy, and it is said that in 1588, during the reign
of Henry III, all the jewels disappeared from the royal treasury. Henry
IV strove to regather the scattered ornaments, but it was only in the
reign of Louis XIV that the collection became really important. At the
time of the French Revolution, in 1791, an inventory was made by the
order of the National Assembly.
[Illustration:
THE MADAM NORDICA COLLECTION OF COLORED PEARLS
The Nordica drop pearl weighs 175 grains
]
The jewels were then deposited in the Garde-Meuble, where they were
exposed to public view. Either they were very carelessly guarded, or the
guardians were in collusion with a band of thieves, for the room wherein
they were kept was entered on five successive nights, and when the theft
was finally discovered only about 500,000 francs’ ($100,000) worth of
the gems remained. Many of the most valuable objects were, however,
traced and recovered. Napoleon I, when he became emperor, made every
effort to enrich the treasure, and purchased gems to the value of
6,000,000 francs ($1,200,000), and subsequent rulers added to the
collection on various occasions.
At the time of the official inventory in 1791 the entire collection of
pearls was estimated at about 1,000,000 francs ($200,000). The finest
specimen in the collection was a splendid round pearl weighing 109¼
grains[522] and estimated at 200,000 francs ($40,000), or $366 per
grain, on a base of $3.35. Then came two pear-shaped pearls of a fine
orient and well-matched, weighing respectively 117¾ and 113 grains, and
valued at 300,000 francs ($60,000) or $260 per grain, on a base of
$2.25. In addition to the above there were twenty-five separate round
pearls which had constituted the necklace of the queen; they ranged in
weight from 36 to 165½ grains, and were valued at about 90,000 francs
($18,000). Beside the pear-shaped pearls to which we have alluded, there
were two other pairs, each valued at 32,000 francs ($6400) for the two
pearls; they averaged about 100 grains in weight. In addition to these
there were two weighing respectively 175½ and 205¼ grains, each valued
at 20,000 francs ($4000), and seven others ranging in weight from 92½ to
167 grains and valued at from 10,000 to 15,000 francs ($2000 to $3000).
The best oval pearl was one weighing seventy-six and one half grains and
estimated at 20,000 francs ($4000); there were two others, one of
ninety-three grains, valued at 12,000 francs ($2400), and one of 121
grains, valued at 10,000 francs ($2000). We may also mention an
egg-shaped pearl weighing 145¼ grains, estimated as worth 10,000 francs
($2000), and a button pearl of 198 grains entered at 15,000 francs
($3000). Beside these separate pearls there were eleven strings
comprising 310 pearls, weighing in all 6778 grains and valued at but
29,400 francs (about $6000). The average per pearl was 95 francs ($19),
less than one dollar a grain.
These pearls, according to their beauty, would now be worth from four to
six times the valuation here given, so that the two large pear-shaped
pearls of the French crown may be worth to-day $200,000 and the great
round pearl from $100,000 to $250,000.
Many of these pearls were a century old. They were collected at a time
when not as much attention was paid to their absolute perfection and
beauty as at the present time, for there probably never has been a
period when rare and perfect pearls, diamonds, or rubies have been
appreciated so much more highly than those of mediocre quality.
RECAPITULATION
Weight in grains Value
No. Average Total Francs U. S. currency
Round Pearls 1 109¼ 200,000 $40,000
3 79 238½ 29,000 5,800
11 77¼ 804½ 37,300 7,460
7 64½ 450½ 19,400 3,880
14 53¾ 753¼ 23,100 4,620
43 34½ 1488½ 16,100 3,220
Pear-shaped 2 115⅜ 230¾ 300,000 60,000
4 99¼ 397½ 64,000 12,800
6 163⅛ 978¾ 92,000 18,400
8 114¼ 914¼ 55,000 11,000
47 42¼ 1989¾ 24,600 4,920
Oval 3 27 290½ 42,000 8,400
9 72½ 654¼ 20,100 4,020
11 43 473¾ 5,000 1,000
Egg-shaped 1 145¼ 10,000 2,000
Irregular 12 39½ 475¼ 7,300 1,460
Button 1 198 15,000 3,000
6 66¼ 398 4,900 980
Baroque 4 37½ 150¾ 1,500 300
Strings 310 21⅞ 6778 29,400 5,880
——- ——— ——————— ——————— ————————
503 35⅜ 17,919¼ 995,700 $199,140
[Illustration:
GRAND PEARL DIADEM OF THE FRENCH CROWN JEWELS
Containing 212 pearls weighing 2452 grains, and 1990 diamonds weighing
74 27–32 carats. Worn by the Empress Eugénie
]
After the downfall of Napoleon III and the proclamation of the French
Republic, the jewels were inventoried, and, by a law passed December 10,
1886, it was decreed that a large part of the treasure should be sold at
public auction. The sale was held in the Pavilion de Flore, a part of
the Palace of the Tuileries, on May 12, 1887, and, very naturally, all
the principal gem dealers and collectors were represented. A number of
remarkable pearl ornaments were among the objects offered at this sale,
one of the most beautiful being a diadem of an exceptionally artistic
openwork design, adorned with large, round pearls and surmounted by a
row of magnificent pear-shaped pearls. The total number of pearls in
this diadem was 212, and their weight 2452 grains. It was sold for the
sum of 78,000 francs ($15,600). The coronet which accompanied the diadem
comprised 274 pearls, weighing 984 grains; the design was similar to
that of the diadem, but the points consisted of a round and a
pear-shaped pearl in alternation. This ornament realized the sum of
30,000 francs ($6000). A large brooch of very elaborate and beautiful
design, beside a number of smaller pearls, comprised four fine,
pear-shaped pendants, weighing 100 grains each, and two choice bouton
pearls, and had in the center the famous pearl known as “La Régente,”
which was purchased in 1811 for 40,000 francs ($8000). This splendid
ornament brought the sum of 176,000 francs ($35,200). Four other
brooches each contained seven pearls and many brilliants, the
twenty-eight pearls having a total weight of 1496 grains, an average of
more than fifty-three grains. Each brooch had two pearls surrounded with
brilliants, and five large, pear-shaped pearls set as pendants. They
were sold to different purchasers at prices ranging from 18,500 francs
($3700) to 43,000 francs ($8600), the four together realizing 113,500
francs ($22,700).
Six pearl necklaces were also offered. One of forty-seven pearls
weighing 698 grains was sold for 34,600 francs ($6920), and two others,
each consisting of fifty-eight pearls, with a total weight of 524 and
400 grains respectively, brought the sum of 22,300 francs ($4460) and
15,000 francs ($3000). Another necklace composed of thirty-eight round
pearls and nine pear-shaped pendants, the total weight being 1612
grains, sold for 74,300 francs ($14,860). The two finest necklaces were
broken up into a number of separate lots. One of them, consisting of 362
pearls and weighing in all 5808 grains,—an average of a trifle over
sixteen grains,—was offered in four lots which together brought 295,800
francs ($59,160). The other necklace comprised 542 pearls weighing 6752
grains, and was disposed of in eight lots, realizing in all 331,800
francs ($66,360). Two bracelets adorned with 202 pearls and a number of
small brilliants were purchased for the sum of 90,200 francs ($18,040).
The total amount realized for the pearl ornaments was 1,261,500 francs
($252,300). There are several American ladies who own single strings of
pearls which are of more value than the whole pearl parure of the
Empress Eugénie.
Pearl parure of the crown jewels of France, worn by the Empress Eugénie,
and sold at the Tuileries, May 12, 1887.
A diadem containing 212 pearls, weighing 2452 grains.
A coronet with 274 pearls, weighing 984 grains.
Four brooches, each containing four large pearls, two round, two
pear-shaped, and three smaller ones, weighing in all 1496 grains.
A larger brooch comprising four large pear-shaped pearls, each weighing
100 grains. In the center is the pearl called “La Régente.”
Two necklaces each consisting of forty-seven pearls, with an aggregate
weight of 698 and 1612 grains, respectively.
Two bracelets with 202 pearls, weighing 2000 grains.
Five buttons, three with nine and two with ten pearls.
A necklace of 542 pearls, weighing 6752 grains.
Another necklace of 362 pearls, weighing 5808 grains.
Two other necklaces, each containing fifty-eight pearls, the total
weight being 400 and 524 grains, respectively.
SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL PEARL ORNAMENTS FORMING THE PEARL PARURE OF
THE FRENCH CROWN JEWELS SOLD AT PALACE OF THE TUILERIES IN MAY, 1887
Designation No. of pearls Aggregate weight Amount rec’d
grains francs
1 necklace 362 5,808 295,800
1 necklace 542 6,752 331,800
1 necklace 47 698 34,600
1 necklace 58 524 22,300
1 necklace 58 400 15,000
1 necklace 47 1,612 74,300
2 bracelets 202 2,000 90,200
1 large diadem 212 2,452 78,000
1 coronet 274 984 30,000
1 brooch 45 1,200 176,000
4 brooches 28 1,496 113,500
———— —————— ———-———-—
Total 1875 23,926 1,261,500
IMPERIAL AUSTRIAN SCHATZKAMMER. The weights and values of the great
gathering of pearls of the imperial Austrian Schatzkammer were carefully
estimated by one of the authors and by his friends, and it is the first
attempted inventory ever published.[523]
The imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire, preserved in the treasury
of the imperial Burg at Vienna, and known as the crown of Charlemagne,
has in front seventeen pearls weighing 424 grains, of which two weigh
fifty-six grains each. The remaining fifteen pearls average 20.8 grains.
The values of these pearls are as follows:
Base
$2.50 $5.00 $7.50
15 pearls, 20.8 grains $16,224 $32,448 $48,672
2 56–grain pearls 15,680 31,360 47,040
——————— ——————— ———————
Total $31,904 $63,808 $95,712
[Illustration:
THE IMPERIAL AUSTRIAN CROWN
Made by order of Emperor Rudolph II, in 1604
]
At the back of the crown there are eighteen pearls, weighing 180 grains.
One of these has a weight of twenty-six grains; the remaining seventeen
average 9.058 grains. The values estimated are as follows:
Base
$2.50 $5.00 $7.50
17 pearls, 9.058 grains $3,487.55 $6,975.10 $10,462.65
1 pearl of 26 grains 1,690.00 3,380.00 5,070.00
——————— ——————— ———————
Total $5,177.55 $10,355.10 $15,532.65
The pearls in the cross surmounting the crown have a weight of
thirty-six grains.
The imperial cross is profusely ornamented with pearls in front, while
the back consists simply of silver-gilt. There are three strings of
pearls in the front running in each direction. The total weight of the
pearls is 4092 grains; one weighing sixty-four grains, and the smallest
two grains.
The crucifix of the Golden Fleece is ornamented only in front with
pearls; these have a weight of but 136 grains.
The imperial Austrian regalia, dating from the time of Emperor Rudolph
II, are also in the imperial Burg; some of the emperor’s jewels were
sold at auction in Prague in 1728.
The crown is adorned with two rows of pearls, weighing respectively 960
and 840 grains; between these rows are pearls having a total weight of
440 grains, while the ornaments and eight large drops weigh 2052 grains.
The largest pearl on this crown weighs 104 grains. It is drop-shaped and
belonged to Rudolph II; it is slightly uneven and the color, although
white, is not that of a new pearl, but this pearl has a positive history
of three hundred and six years, and at the present time is probably the
oldest known unchanged pearl with a direct and authentic record.
The imperial orb is studded with pearls weighing in all 1560 grains.
Four of these weigh forty grains each, the others are of lesser size,
the smallest weighing ten grains. The scepter is adorned with pearls to
the weight of 300 grains.
In addition to these insignia and regalia there are in the treasury two
magnificent pearl necklaces, deposited by Empress Maria Theresa in 1765.
The first consists of a single string of 114 large-sized pearls with the
“Baden Solitaire,” a diamond of 30 carats, as a clasp. Three of these
pearls weigh from 92 to 100 grains each, and the whole string has a
total weight of 3400 grains. This would give us the following values,
the pearls averaging 29.82 grains.
Base
$2.50 $253,432.12
5.00 506,864.24
The other necklace contains 121 pearls of a total weight of 3788 grains,
arranged in three rows; these pearls average 31.3 grains, the largest
weighing forty grains and the smallest ten grains. The necklace has a
diamond clasp of 14–1⁄32 carats. The pearls are worth:
Base
$2.50 $296,450
5.00 592,900
7.50 889,350
Two bracelets with brilliant clasps, belonging to the same set, and
consisting of 240 medium-sized pearls weighing 2800 grains and averaging
11⅔ grains, have the following values:
Base
$2.50 $81,658.80
5.00 163,317.60
7.50 244,976.40
There is also a pendant of six pearls, weighing 300 grains and averaging
fifty grains; these pearls are worth:
Base
$2.50 $37,500
5.00 75,000
7.50 112,500
Another necklace, bequeathed to the treasury by the late Empress
Caroline Augusta, consists of eighty-six pearls disposed in two rows,
the largest pearl weighing seventy-two grains and the smallest eight
grains. The total weight is 2600 grains and the average, 30.2. This
necklace is worth:
Base
$2.50 $196,088.60
5.00 392,177.20
7.50 588,265.80
Still another necklace is composed altogether of black pearls, of which
there are thirty, the largest weighing forty-eight grains and the
smallest ten. The total weight of this necklace is 1040 grains, an
average of 34.66 grains for each pearl. On a base of $5 this necklace is
worth $180,150.
The diamond crown of the empress bears pearls to the total weight of
2000 grains; among them are four weighing 100 grains each. These pearls
alone, on a $5 base, would be worth $200,000.
[Illustration:
THE GREAT SÉVIGNÉ OF THE FRENCH CROWN JEWELS
Containing “The Regent Pearl,” weighing 337 grains, and four
pear-shaped pearls of 100 grains each; also 100 carats of diamonds
]
The total weight of the pearls in all these ornaments is 35,816 grains,
equal to four and a half pounds, avoirdupois, and they are worth from
$2,000,000 to $4,000,000.
The so-called crown of Charlemagne bears the inscription: “Chuonradus
Rex Dei gratia Romanorum Imperator Aug.” It is believed to be a work of
the twelfth century and originally the royal crown of Conrad III, king
of the Germans (1093–1152), the first Hohenstaufen.[524] The arch is
said to have been added to adapt this royal crown for use in the
expected coronation of Conrad as emperor. He died, however, while making
preparations for his journey to Rome.
The imperial vestments used in the coronation ceremonies of the Holy
Roman Empire, were produced in the celebrated Hôtel de Tirâz, at
Palermo. Roger II, King of Sicily (1096–1154), after a victorious
campaign in Greece, brought back with him to Sicily a number of skilled
silk-weavers and embroiderers, whom he established at Palermo. The
imperial mantle is of a brilliant purple and bears an inscription,
embroidered in gold and pearls, stating that the garment was made in the
royal manufactory in the year 1133. Two pearl-embroidered
representations of a lion, who has stricken down a camel and is about to
tear it to pieces, also appear on this mantle. This symbol of royal
power was used frequently by the Saracens, and it is said that Richard
Cœur de Lion had this design embroidered on his saddlecloths.[525]
A fine collection of large baroque pearls is preserved in the Grüne
Gewölbe (Green Vaults) in the palace at Dresden, which contains the
treasures of the royal family of Saxony. Most of these were mounted
during the eighteenth century by J. M. Dinglinger (1665–1731), the
famous goldsmith to the Saxon Elector, King Augustus II of Poland, and
who is sometimes called the German Cellini. A splendid specimen of his
work is a vase of Egyptian jasper in the shape of a shell, bearing a
representation of Hercules fighting with the Nemæan lion; this bears
reference to the immense personal strength and power of Augustus II,
whose portrait is painted in enamel on a mirror at the back. The
pedestal is adorned with a great many precious stones, pearls, and
enamel paintings in the shape of cameos representing the twelve labors
of Hercules. A dragon is studded with emeralds and its back is formed of
pearls, with a large sardonyx in the middle. Hercules and the lion are
in enamel.
In the same collection may be seen the figure of a dwarf made by
Ferbecq, who was one of the goldsmiths of King Augustus. The body of the
dwarf is formed of a baroque pearl, which is studded with small
diamonds. His sleeves and trousers are in black and green enamel; his
hat is also of green enamel and on it is a string of diamonds. In his
right hand the dwarf holds a spit and in his left a roast. On his left
shoulder he bears a goose, the upper part of whose body is formed of a
pearl; at his right side hangs a bottle also formed of a pearl. The
gilded pedestal is ornamented with white enamel work on a pink ground.
Above and below, it is set with white and yellow diamonds. Another
figure, similarly formed of a large baroque pearl ornamented with gold
and diamonds, shows a drunken vintager and his dog; and an exceedingly
grotesque, ornamented baroque is said to bear a striking resemblance to
Señor Pepe, the court dwarf of Charles II of Spain.
Exhibited at the Palace of Rosenberg at Copenhagen, are similar designs
in which large baroques form the principal part of fish, birds, dragons,
mermaids, etc. Prominent among them is the figure of a skater, executed
by the jeweler, Diederichsen; it is said that this was made for
Frederick VII, who died before it was accepted, and in 1895 it was
presented to the museum.
A beautiful and costly figure of this nature was completed a year or two
ago by the court jeweler, Alfred Dragsen, of Copenhagen. This is nearly
four inches in height, and represents a female snake-charmer. A very
long baroque pearl forms the body from the shoulders to the knees, and
the head, arms, and the legs below the knees are of gold. The figure is
ornamented with a diamond-studded garland, ruby necklace and earrings,
and garters set with similar gems, a red enameled girdle ornamented with
pearls, and golden anklets with black pearls. With a flute she charms a
serpent twined about her body and grasped with the other hand.
What is said to be the finest collection of black pearls in all Europe
is that belonging to the Duchess of Anhalt Dessau, Germany. It consists
of three large caskets of black pearls that have taken a century to
collect. It is traditional in the family that these pearls are never to
be sold except as their last possession, since they know they will
always find a purchaser.
A collection of pearls had been kept for many years in the Monte de
Piedad of Mexico City, which it was claimed had been pawned by a friend
of the Empress Carlotta, in order to provide her with money at the time
of the assassination of Emperor Maximilian. These pearls were contained
in a necklace and a pearl and diamond tiara, which were sewn upon
cardboard covered with black velvet, and had the appearance of not
having been disturbed for many years. The necklace consisted of old
pearls, both of the so-called Madras and Panama varieties; in the center
was a large diamond medallion from which pear-shaped pearls were
suspended. It is believed that these pearls were part of Empress
Carlotta’s marriage portion, and that they came from the Austrian crown
jewel collection. None of them possessed much quality with the exception
of one, a large pear-shaped pearl which was set at the base of the
necklace and weighed eighty-four grains. The drilling of this pearl was
of a very old style, being of that type in which a tube is inserted in
the drill hole, through which a gold wire passes to hold the pearl; a
diamond is then set at the base of the tube to disguise the drill mark.
It is, however, possible that the pearl came from the East Indies, where
large drill holes are usual.
[Illustration:
MADAM NORDICA
]
The pearls were sent in bond to the United States as a collection, and
then to Europe, where they were sold separately, the pear-shaped pearl
appearing again in the New York market in 1906. There has been some
doubt as to these really being Carlotta’s pearls, but the Mexican
account is fairly consistent, and it satisfactorily disposes of the
newspaper romance in which it was claimed that Carlotta had taken these
pearls with her to Europe and that they had been buried in a casket in
the Adriatic Sea.
RECENT AUCTION SALES. In England and in France, more than in the United
States, great auction sales of jewels are common. They are held in
London, principally at Christie’s, originally a coffee house,
established in 1880; and in Paris, at the Hôtel Drouot. Good prices are
generally realized, as the buyers of the entire continent attend these
great sales. The purchases are usually made by dealers who frequently do
not neglect each other’s interests if private buyers are present. No
matter how great may be the amount involved, no matter whether the
collections consist of paintings, furniture, or jewels, there are always
buyers, to a much greater extent than in the United States. The price
for fine jewels may naturally vary a trifle in the different markets,
according to the conditions of payment. It must evidently make an
appreciable difference whether almost the entire amount is paid in cash
or whether a credit of thirty days is extended, or one for a much longer
period, in some countries for as long as one, two, or even three years.
While in the United States such sales of valuable jewels are very
unusual, it has been a custom in England and in France for many years,
in the settlement of estates, to sell not only the furniture,
bric-à-brac, etc., but also the jewels. Sales of this kind are naturally
calculated to attract not only the dealers, but also many rich
collectors and connoisseurs, and as they are frequently widely
advertised, and London and Paris are, at the most, but one to two days’
journey from all parts of Europe, many people attend, most of the
private buyers being represented by their agents. By means of these
sales many heirlooms, which have been handed down from generation to
generation, often pass into the possession of strangers. In the matter
of jewels, it has been frequently noticed that dealers are in the
majority of cases the ultimate buyers, and it has also been inferred
that when an outsider participates in the bidding, the prices are
advanced to such an extent that it does not often appear profitable for
him to buy in the face of such competition. All manner of people have
had their estates disposed of in this way, and the list of these sales
during the past twenty years is a striking one: royalty, nobility,
merchants, and people in many other conditions of life find a place in
it.
It is not an infrequent custom in London for solicitors to advance money
on jewels, and when the payments are not forthcoming these jewels are
sold. Hence, many sales appear at the larger auction rooms in which no
name is given, the owners frequently being people of high degree.
On July 19, 1892, a necklace containing eighty-five graduated pearls
of unusual size and quality, the property of the late H. W. F.
Bolchow, M.P., was sold in London for the sum of £2500 ($12,500).
Another necklace of 146 fine graduated pearls disposed in two rows,
brought £2400 ($12,000); a single-row necklace of eighty-five pearls
realized £1600 ($8000), and one of 118 pearls in two rows £1660
($8300).
An exceptionally fine pearl necklace which belonged to her Grace the
late Caroline, Duchess of Montrose, mother of the present Duke of
Montrose, was sold at Christie’s on April 30, 1895. The necklace
comprised 362 graduated pearls, arranged in seven rows of
forty-four, forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty-two,
fifty-eight, and sixty-four pearls, respectively. The amount
realized for this ornament was £11,500 ($57,500).
On July 9, 1901, a pearl necklace, advertised as the property of “a
French lady of rank,” and several other valuable pearl ornaments,
were offered at Christie’s. It is supposed by many that these jewels
belonged to Madame Humbert. The necklace was composed of six rows of
graduated pearls consisting of fifty-five, sixty-one, sixty-seven,
seventy-three, seventy-nine, and eighty-nine pearls, respectively, a
total of 424, all of good color and luster. A London dealer
considers that they owed their value mainly to skilful matching and
fineness of color; they are perhaps a century old. As may be
supposed, there were many bidders who competed eagerly for
possession of this fine ornament, and it was at last adjudged for
the sum of £20,000 ($100,000). While this was, up to that date, a
record price in an auction room, it was by no means an exceptional
figure for private sales; indeed, at about the time this necklace
was sold, a London dealer disposed of another for £34,000
($170,000).
A necklace, the property of the late Lady Matheson of the Lews, was
sold at Christie’s, March 5, 1902. Well-matched and graduated round
pearls, to the number of 233, were disposed in four rows, and strung
with seed-pearls between. This necklace, which had been presented to
Lady Matheson at the time of her marriage in 1843 by Sir Jamsetjee
Jejeebhoy, Bart., brought the sum of £6800 ($34,000).
A pearl necklace, containing fifty-three fine and graduated pearls,
was sold in London, June 9, 1902, for the sum of £2250 ($11,250).
Another necklace of sixty-eight fine round pearls, one of which
formed the clasp, brought £1580 ($7900). A beautiful pearl and
brilliant pendant of open scroll design, with a large, round white
pearl in the center, and a large, pear-shaped black pearl as drop,
realized £800 ($4000), and a pearl collar of ten rows of round
pearls brought £820 ($4100). A noteworthy offering at this sale was
a rope of 135 pearls, an heirloom sold under the will of Lady
Marianna Augusta Hamilton. These pearls had been given to Lady
Augusta Anne Cockburn in 1769 on the occasion of her marriage to Sir
James Cockburn, Bart., by her godmother, Augusta, Duchess of
Brunswick, sister to George III. The rope was sold for £900 ($4500).
The pearls of Lady Dudley were sold at Christie’s on July 4, 1902.
Among them was a magnificent necklace of forty-seven slightly
graduated round pearls, of large size and unusually brilliant
orient; their gross weight was 1090 grains. This necklace brought
the sum of £22,200 ($111,000). A single pear-shaped pearl of the
finest orient mounted with a diamond cap, as a pendant, and weighing
209 grains, was sold for £13,500 ($67,500). A rope of 222 graduated
round pearls of the highest quality, weighing 2320 grains was
purchased for £16,700 ($83,500), and a pearl and brilliant tiara
brought £10,300 ($51,500). The entire casket of thirty-one lots
realized £89,526 ($447,630).
At the sale of the jewels of Mlle. Wanda de Boncza, at the Hôtel
Drouot, Paris, December 6, 1902, a fine necklace was disposed of for
the sum of 150,000 francs ($30,000), and a rope of 100 small pearls
realized 38,100 francs ($7620); the proceeds of the entire sale of
these jewels were 1,249,578 francs ($249,915).
Among the Aqualia jewels, sold in London in 1903, was a pearl
necklace that brought £4480 ($22,400).
The jewels of the late Marquis of Anglesey, an enthusiastic jewel
and art collector, were disposed of at Christie’s on May 4 and 5,
1904. At the time of his death, the marquis was supposed to be a
bankrupt, but the value of the gems which he had purchased had
increased so rapidly that the sale realized the sum of £22,988 10s.
($114,942), more than enough to cover all the obligations of the
estate. Of this amount a magnificent drop pearl, mounted as a
scarf-pin, brought £4000 ($20,000); another drop pearl of the finest
orient, weighing 105½ grains, but slightly cracked, was sold for
£3700 ($18,500). Four other drop-shaped pearls, mounted as
scarf-pins, were sold for £5220 ($26,100), one of them bringing
£1720 ($8600). A single bouton pearl, used as a coat fastener,
realized £980 ($4900), and a pearl trefoil was purchased for £580
($2900). One fine large bouton pearl, set as a stud, was disposed of
for £3000 ($15,000), and another somewhat smaller bouton, also set
as a stud, brought £1600 ($8000).
A splendid necklace comprising forty-nine well-matched and graduated
pearls of fine quality, weighing 563½ grains, was sold in London on
June 29, 1905, for the sum of £4700 ($23,500). At the same sale a
necklace of thirty-two graduated pearls, weighing about 890 grains,
brought £2600 ($13,000).
On July 20, 1905, a pearl necklace comprising forty-five graduated
pearls of fine orient, with a cabochon ruby clasp, the gross weight
being 832 grains, was sold in London for £3150 ($15,750).
A fine pearl and brilliant pendant was disposed of at the sale in
London, February 21, 1906, of the stock of Mr. E. M. Marcoso. This
pendant was composed of one large white brilliant, weighing 18–1⁄32
carats, and a drop-shaped pearl weighing 75¾ grains. The ornament
brought the sum of £2050 ($10,250).
A pearl necklace composed of 285 well-matched and graduated pearls
disposed in five rows was sold in London on June 13, 1906, for the
sum of £10,000 ($50,000). At the same sale a three-row necklace,
with 213 graduated and matched pearls of fine orient, brought £3200
($16,000), and a rope of 237 fine pearls realized £2800 ($14,000).
Among the jewels disposed of at a sale in London on July 11, 1906,
may be mentioned a five-row pearl necklace of 445 graduated oriental
pearls which was sold for £2500 ($12,500). Three other necklaces
were offered at the same sale; one of fifty-five matched and
graduated pearls of fine quality bringing £3400 ($17,000); one of
fifty-seven pearls, £2700 ($13,500), and the other of 219
well-matched and graduated pearls realizing £2350 ($11,750). Still
another necklace of 417 matched and graduated pearls arranged in
five rows was sold for £4800 ($24,000). A splendid pearl drop, of
the finest orient, brought £1650 ($8250), and a pearl rope of 191
oriental pearls, arranged so as to form three single-row necklaces,
realized the sum of £3700 ($18,500), three fine black pearls,
mounted as studs, were sold for £1000 ($5000). The most important
necklace was reserved for the end of the sale; this was composed of
forty-seven large oriental pearls, and was purchased for the sum of
£10,000 ($50,000).
At the sale of the Massey-Mainwaring collection at Christie’s on
March 18, 1907, a five-row pearl necklace consisting of 471
graduated pearls, with a bouton pearl in the center, was sold for
£4600 ($23,000).
Another collection, sold at Christie’s, April 15, 1907, was the
property of the late Mrs. Lewis-Hill, and the proceeds of the first
day’s sale reached the heretofore unapproached total of £94,805
($474,025), thus exceeding by $26,395 the amount obtained in one day
by the sale of Lady Dudley’s jewels. Among the valuable pearls in
this collection, we may mention a pair of large bouton pearl
earrings, with small diamond tops, which brought £1180 ($5900). The
enthusiasm and interest of the assembly were aroused by a necklace
of forty-five large, graduated pearls of fine orient, with a bouton
pearl and brilliant cluster snap; after spirited bidding this was
bought for £6100 ($30,500). The greatest event of the day, however,
was the appearance of a splendid rope of 229 pearls of very good
form, well-matched and graduated. The opening bid was £10,000
($50,000) and after a warm contest the pearls were finally acquired
for the sum of £16,700 ($83,500). A necklace consisting of fifteen
graduated drops, each formed of one bouton pearl, one brilliant, and
one pear-shaped pearl drop, depending from a narrow band of small
diamonds, drew forth a bid of £5000 ($25,000) and was finally
awarded for the sum of £12,200 ($61,000). A pearl rope of 183
graduated and well-matched pearls realized £7200 ($36,000), and a
fine pair of pearls set as earrings brought £3400 ($17,000). The
crowded auction room, the keen competition among the bidders, and
the amount obtained for these jewels are good indications of the
firmness of the market at the present time.
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1907, by Theo. C. Marceau, N. Y.
MRS. GEORGE J. GOULD
]
At the sale of the jewels of Lady Henry Gordon-Lennox, held at
Christie’s on May 12, 1907, a splendid necklace was offered. It
comprised 287 graduated pearls of the finest orient, disposed in
five rows, with a large circular pearl. This magnificent ornament
was sold for £25,500 ($127,500).
On July 11, 1907, a splendid necklace of forty-nine graduated
pearls, of fine luster and carefully matched, was sold at auction by
Debenham and Storr of London, for the sum of £5600 ($28,000). At the
same sale a single-row necklace of forty-five pearls brought £5300
($26,500), and a rope of oriental pearls realized £4500 ($22,500).
At the auction sale of the collection of the late Bishop Bubics of
Hungary, among other objects, a very handsome saber pouch was
offered, of the style worn by the Hungarian hussars. It was of green
silk and richly embroidered with hundreds of pearls of varying
sizes. After a spirited competition this pouch was sold to Prince
Esterhazy for 13,500 crowns ($2700). Some time after the sale a
letter from the late bishop was found, containing the statement that
he had borrowed the ornament from the jewel-room of the Princess
Esterhazy. Naturally, Prince Esterhazy was not called upon to pay
the amount of his bid. It is a gratification to know that at least
one of the remarkable Magyar jeweled ornaments has escaped the
cupidity of enterprising jewelers who have broken up so many of
these ornaments for the gems which they contained.
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL GREAT PEARLS OF HISTORY
Weight
Charles the Bold’s Pearls. Three, each about 60 grains
Gomara Pearl, 31 carats 124 grains
Oviedo Pearl, 26 carats
(probably the Morales or Pizarro Pearl) 104 grains
La Peregrina 134 grains
Charles II’s Pearl, (nearly equal to La Peregrina)
Morales and Pizarro Pearl, 26 carats 104 grains
Rudolph II’s Pearl, 30 carats 120 grains
Tavernier’s Pearls:
Shah Sofi’s Pearl (estimated) 500 grains
Imam of Muscat’s Pearl, 12–1⁄16 carats 48¼ grains
Shaista Khan Pearl, 55 carats 220 grains
Great Mogul’s Pearls:
Peacock Throne Pearl 200 grains
Two pear-shaped, one about 70 ratis 186.2 grains
Olive-shaped pearl (estimated) 125 grains
One button-shaped, 55–60 ratis 146.3–159.6 grains
One round pearl, 56 ratis (gift of the Shah
Abbas II) 148.9 grains
Round pearl (estimated)[526] 110 grains
Three yellowish pearls, 25–28 ratis 66.5–74.5 grains
One perfectly round pearl, 35½ ratis 94½ grains
Two perfectly shaped and equal, each 25¼ ratis 67.1 grains
La Reine des Perles 109¼ grains
Pearls of Maria Theresa’s Necklace (three) 92–100 grains
La Régente (now owned by Princess Yousoupoff) 337 grains
La Pellegrina 111½ grains
The Ynaffit, pear-shaped 143⅛ grains
Hope Pearl, drop-shaped baroque 1800 grains
Also in the Hope Collection:
Conical pearl 151 grains
Bouton pearl 124 grains
Oval pearl 94 grains
Roughly spherical pearl 89 grains
Acorn-shaped pearl 85 grains
Oval conch pearl 82¼ grains
Button-shaped conch pearl 77½ grains
Drop-shaped pearl 76½ grains
Pear-shaped Scotch pearl 34¾ grains
Van Buren Pearls:
Two, each about 30 grains
Also necklace 148 pearls 700 grains
Tiffany Queen Pearl, American 93 grains
Black bouton earring-pearl 88 grains
White bouton earring-pearl 93 grains
Bapst Pearls, two 113¼ and 113¾ grains
Round pearl of Paris Exposition of 1889 70 grains
Mme. Nordica’s Pearl (abalone) 175 grains
Great Bahama Conch Pearl 138¼ grains
The Queen Conch Pearl 90 grains
W. H. Moore’s Pearl (Arkansas pearl, brown) 122½ grains
Shark’s Bay Pearl, golden yellow 30½ grains
Rudolph II Crown Pearl, 26 carats 104 grains
Carlotta’s Pearl, pear-shaped 84 grains
Marquis of Anglesey’s Pearl, drop-shaped 105½ grains
Black pear-shaped pearl (Lower California) 49 grains
XVII
THE ABORIGINAL USE OF PEARLS, AND THEIR DISCOVERY IN MOUNDS AND GRAVES
XVII
THE ABORIGINAL USE OF PEARLS, AND THEIR DISCOVERY IN MOUNDS AND GRAVES
The use of pearls by the aborigines of the territory now comprised in
the United States is proven by their appearance in the mounds and
certain graves of pre-Columbian date. This is of great interest in view
of the unique system of burial and the great variety of objects buried
with the pearls. It is evident from the quantities discovered in some of
the mounds that a very great number of pearls, many of large size, must
have been owned by these aborigines, and they were evidently quite
expert in the art of drilling them. Pearls must have been freely used
for ornamental purposes, and it is clear that many rivers in this region
must have produced them in great numbers, when we consider that in all
probability the mussels were taken only as they were required for food
or for bait in fishing, and had probably reached their full growth.
It is not unlikely that pearls were used on this continent for a long
period, and they may have been in use centuries before any employment
was made of them in Europe. In the age of the mound-builders there were
as many pearls in the possession of a single tribe of Indians as existed
in any European court. We have no means of ascertaining the precise date
of any of these burials, and there are no historical records relating to
this region, such as were kept in Mexico as well as in Europe and Asia.
No trace has been found of the employment of pearls, either for
decoration or ornament, by the aborigines of Europe or Asia; either they
did not use them or else the pearls have entirely passed away in the
course of twenty or more centuries. We do know, however, that neither
pearls nor Unio shells were used by any of the lake-dwellers of
Switzerland or the adjacent countries.
Many eminent archæologists have investigated the finding and history of
the pearls of the mound-builders of Ohio and Alabama, especially Squier
and Davis, F. W. Putnam, Warren K. Moorehead, C. C. Jones, W. C. Mills,
and Clarence B. Moore. The discoveries made up to 1890 were fully
treated by one of the writers in several pamphlets (one of them, “Gems
and Precious Stones of North America”).
It is not unlikely that the Indians of the Atlantic coast may have known
of pearls from the common clam as well as from the edible oyster. The
former may have often contained pearls weighing from fifty to one
hundred grains each, as at that period the mollusks were permitted to
attain their full growth, and perhaps were not eaten except when they
were as small as little-neck clams; the larger ones were sought for the
purple spot which held the muscle, and was used for wampum. We have no
record of the finding of pearls in any graves north of Virginia, as the
many graves opened in the past century have failed to reveal them, nor
has the use of pearls been mentioned by any of the early writers. They
may have been worn, but if so they have passed away or may have been
mistaken for ashes if they had decrepitated.
The first English settlers found the Indians of the tidewater region of
what now constitutes the Middle States using pearls quite freely and
esteeming them among their favorite treasures and ornaments. Captain
John Smith, and all the early chroniclers of the Virginia colony, have
given many accounts of this aboriginal use of pearls.
In view of the general interest awakened by the tercentenary of the
founding of Jamestown, and the exposition in commemoration thereof, the
“American Anthropologist” devoted its first number for 1907 principally
to topics relating to the Virginia Indians.[527] Among these articles is
one of much interest by Mr. Charles C. Willoughby, of the Peabody Museum
at Cambridge, Massachusetts, dealing with the tribes occupying tidewater
Virginia at the time of the first colonization, their habits and
customs, their distribution, and their subsequent history of diminution
and almost of extinction. These were a branch of the Algonquian stock,
and extended as far south as the Neuse River in North Carolina. To the
south and west they were hemmed in by tribes of Iroquoian and Siouan
race, and on the north they were separated from other hostile Indians by
the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. The powerful confederacy under
Powhatan comprised some thirty tribes or “provinces,” covering most of
the tidewater region of Virginia proper. To the greater chiefs, John
Smith states that tribute was paid, consisting of “skinnes, beads,
copper, pearle, deere, turkies, wild beasts and corne.”[528] Many other
references in this article confirm and illustrate this general
statement, especially regarding pearls, both as to their use by the
living and their deposit with the remains of the dead.
In the account given of the native clothing, the outer mantles are
described, made usually of deerskin with the hair removed, and bordered
with a fringe. These were often “couloured with some pretty work, ...
beasts, fowle, tortayses, or such like imagery,”[529] or adorned with
shells, white beads, copper ornaments, pearls, or the teeth of
animals.[530] Strachey describes a wonderful cloak made of feather-work,
belonging to an Indian princess, the wife of a deposed chief, Pipisco;
with it she wore “pendants of great but imperfect couloured and worse
drilled pearles, which she put into her eares,” besides a long necklace
made of copper links.[531]
With regard to such ornaments, Mr. Willoughby says (p. 71) that “the
ears of both sexes were pierced with great holes, the women commonly
having three in each ear, in which were hung strings of bones, shell,
and copper beads, copper pendants, and other ornaments. Captain Amidas
met the wife of a chief who wore in her ears strings of pearl beads as
large as ‘great pease’ which hung down to her middle.[532] The husband
of this woman wore five or six copper pendants in each ear. It was a
common custom for the men to wear a claw of a hawk, eagle, turkey, or
bear, or even a live snake as an ear ornament.”
“Bracelets and neck ornaments of various kinds of beads were common.
Beads of copper seem to have been most highly valued in the early
colonial period. These were made of ‘shreeds of copper, beaten thinne
and bright, and wound up hollowe,’ and were sometimes strung alternately
with pearls which were occasionally stained to render them more
attractive.[533] Beads of polished bone or shell were strung into
necklaces either alone or with perforated pearls or copper beads. Some
of these chains were long enough to pass several times around the neck.
Necklaces of such construction as to be easily identified were worn by
messengers as a proof of good faith. Powhatan gave Sir Thomas Dale a
pearl necklace, and requested that any messenger sent by Dale to him
should wear it as a guaranty that the message was authentic.”[534]
“Pearls of various shapes and sizes were comparatively common, but
symmetrical pearls of uniform size were more rare. Strachey writes of
having seen ‘manie chaynes and braceletts (of pearls) worne by the
people, and wee have found plentie of them in the sepulchers of their
kings, though discoloured by burning the oysters in the fier, and
deformed by grosse boring.’ One of Hariot’s companions obtained from the
Indians about five thousand pearls, from which a sufficient number of
good quality and of uniform size were obtained to make a ‘fayre chaine,
which for their likenesse and uniformitie in roundnesse, orientness and
pidenesse of many excellent colours, with equalitie in greatnesse, were
verie fayre and rare.’[535]
“Those who have examined the thousands of pearls from the Ohio mounds,
to be mentioned later, can readily understand these conditions. The
pearl beads from the mounds vary in diameter from about an eighth of an
inch to nearly an inch, the great majority being small and irregular,
although there are many among them of good form and value. It is
probable that most of the Virginia pearls were obtained from the
fresh-water mussel (Unio)”; not unlikely from the common marine clam
(_Venus mercenaria_), or the common oyster (_Ostrea virginica_).
As regards the burial of pearls with the dead and their use in religious
rites, curious and quite full accounts are given by Strachey, Smith,
Hariot, and Beverley.[536] There was a “temple,” also occupied as a
residence by one or more priests, in the territory of every chief. This
building was usually some eighteen or twenty feet wide, and varied in
length from thirty to one hundred feet, with an entrance at the eastern
end, and the western portion partitioned off with mats to form a sort of
sanctuary or “chancel.” Within this were kept the dried bodies of
deceased chiefs, and an image of the god, called Okee, made in the shape
of a man, “all black, dressed with chaynes of perle.” Full descriptions
of these idols and their manufacture are given by Hariot and Beverley,
also of the process of preserving the remains of the chiefs.[537] After
the body had been disemboweled, the skin was laid back and the flesh was
cut away from the bones. When this operation was completed, the
skeleton, held together by its ligaments, was again inclosed in the
skin, and stuffed with white sand, or with “pearle, copper, beads, and
such trash sowed in a skynne.”[538] It was then dressed in fine skins
and adorned with all sorts of valuables, including strings of pearls and
beads. The same kinds of treasures were also deposited in a basket at
the feet of the mummy.
Captain Smith describes the temple of Powhatan, at Uttamussack, which
was in charge of seven priests, and was held in great awe by “the
salvages.” At a place called Orapaks, was also his treasure-house, fifty
or sixty yards long, frequented only by priests, where he kept a great
amount of skins, beads, pearls, and copper, stored up against the time
of his death and burial. A vivid account is given of the four grotesque
images that stood guard at the corners of this building, all made “evill
favouredly according to their best workmanship.”[539]
The use of pearls as ornaments, and their deposit with the remains of
chiefs and persons of distinction, have already been described as
familiar among the Indian tribes of tidewater Virginia, in the notes
above cited from early explorers and colonists. It is a curious
circumstance, however, that this habit does not appear to have extended
in that part of the country much beyond the dominions of Powhatan, as no
pearls have been noted in the Indian graves in Maryland. This statement,
in reply to a letter of special inquiry, is made by Dr. P. R. Uhler, of
the Peabody Institute of Baltimore, who has been making very careful
studies of all aboriginal remains in that region, for the Maryland
Academy of Sciences.
It would seem from this and other evidence, that the use and
appreciation of pearls must have been in some way a tribal matter,
familiar to some and not to others, of the Indian peoples. In the
Mississippi Valley, the ancient population known as the mound-builders,
by some regarded as a distinct and earlier race, and by others as of
true Indian stock, although much more advanced in arts and culture, have
left in their mounds most remarkable quantities of pearls. But here
again, the same feature appears, that these treasures are not found
wherever there are mounds, but only in certain regions. Of these, by far
the most celebrated is that of the Scioto and Miami valleys, in Ohio.
Outside of these, no large amounts have been found, and only at a few
localities are they met with at all.
The valleys of the Miami and Scioto rivers and their tributaries contain
many remarkable mounds and “earthworks,” which have attracted much
attention, and have been more or less explored at different times, with
increasing care and thoroughness as archæological science has advanced.
It may be well to give a brief, general account of these investigations
and some leading features of the mounds as a whole, before going into
particulars as to the occurrence of pearls.
The first important and scientific study of these remarkable structures
was that conducted in the early forties by Dr. Edwin H. Davis and Mr. E.
George Squier, and published in their celebrated and standard work
entitled “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley,” issued by the
Smithsonian Institution in 1848. This book and the “Correspondence” in
regard to the mounds by the same writers, published in 1847, were the
first works issued by the Smithsonian Institution.
According to Squier and Davis,[540] two quarts of pearls were originally
deposited in one of these mounds. The writers consider that the pearls
were probably derived from the fisheries in the southern waters, and
they regard their presence in the Ohio mounds as a proof of “an
extensive communication with southern and tropical regions and a
migration from that direction.”