Flemish carved pearwood prayer bead

An image of Sculpture. Prayer Bead. Possibly from a rosary. Unknown maker, Flanders. The two hemispherical parts are hinged together and fastened with a silver clasp. The outsides are carved with pierced 'flamboyant' tracery, and both ends have a silver mount and ring. The inside surfaces have minute figure carvings: one is of the Virgin, seated, holding the Child on her left knee with her left hand and offering a fruit with her right hand. Her hair reaches down to her waist. The edge of the little roundel is cusped. The other carving is of St Cecilia seated on the right playing an organ, set obliquely to the picture plane, and pumped by an angel on the left. St Cecilia's hair falls in ringlets to her waist. Pearwood, carved, with silver mounts, diameter, whole, 4.0 cm, length, whole, 4.3 cm, circa 1500-1525. Renaissance.

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Sculpture. Prayer Bead. Possibly from a rosary. Unknown maker, Flanders. The two hemispherical parts are hinged together and fastened with a silver clasp. The outsides are carved with pierced 'flamboyant' tracery, and both ends have a silver mount and ring. The inside surfaces have minute figure carvings: one is of the Virgin, seated, holding the Child on her left knee with her left hand and offering a fruit with her right hand. Her hair reaches down to her waist. The edge of the little roundel is cusped. The other carving is of St Cecilia seated on the right playing an organ, set obliquely to the picture plane, and pumped by an angel on the left. St Cecilia's hair falls in ringlets to her waist. Pearwood, carved, with silver mounts, diameter, whole, 4.0 cm, length, whole, 4.3 cm, circa 1500-1525. Renaissance.

Image data

Accession Number: MAR.M.262-1912
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/39.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H3DII-31
Photographer name: Jaymes Sinclair
Image height: 635 pixels
Image width: 1024 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6 (Macintosh)
Filesize: 175.26kB
Exposure time: 1/60
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 39/1

Key words

16th Century Artistic Movement Catholic Catholicism Date Department Fitz_AA Flemish Material Nationalities Netherlandish Northern Renaissance Object Type Other Keywords Renaissance Silver Workflow _WF_AdOK _WF_KWD _WF_OPACtd _WF_PCtd bead carved clasps hinged pearwood pierced prayer prayer bead praying religion religious rosary rosary beads tracery window wood wooden

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Flemish carved pearwood prayer bead"
            Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/image/media-187637 Accessed: 2025-12-29 21:15:47

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            |title=Flemish carved pearwood prayer bead
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            University of Cambridge}}

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        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa30/MAR_M_262_1912_1_201407_jas244_mas.jpg"
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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Flemish carved pearwood prayer bead</figcaption>
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