Lot 172: A PALESTINIAN MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND OLIVE WOOD STATIONS OF THE CROSS ROSARY, BETHLEHEM, 19TH CENTURY

This antique rosary is a piece of Holy Land pilgrimage jewelry, featuring a large crucifix and a bead chain. The crucifix is constructed from a dark wood base, likely olive wood, with extensive mother-of-pearl inlays. The front of the cross displays a carved mother-of-pearl corpus under the titulus INRI. The arms and shaft are inlaid with mother-of-pearl panels engraved with the fourteen Stations of the Cross, marked with Roman numerals I through XIV and corresponding Greek abbreviations. Four radiating mother-of-pearl leaf ornaments are positioned at the intersection of the cross. A small carved figure, likely representing a saint or the Virgin Mary, is located at the base of the crucifix. The reverse of the wooden cross features a circular metal plaque stamped with the word BETHLEHEM. The chain consists of approximately 59 round mother-of-pearl beads joined by dark metal wire links. The chain terminates in a small metal hook clasp.

cross: L: 12.5cm