Provenance:
Private Collection, Madrid, Spain

ABOUT THE WORK

Engraved mother-of-pearl shells usually feature carvings of landscapes and rural scenes. One would need the skill and proper tools to work on this kind of material because of its limited surface and brittleness. The details of the shells themselves indicate great artistic skill was behind these works with a variety of ways in which different tools specifically for carving were used to create the subtle and fine detail shown here. It is unknown who the original artists were, however according to the book “Pearl of the Orient: The Philippines in a Shell” by José Maria A. Cariño and Sonia P. Ner, 19th century Chinese craftsmen were most likely responsible as they resemble a strong influence of art styles found in China, and to Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Bruma. These carved shells are usually better-preserved than the painted ones as the etched designs are permanent unless the shell itself gets cracked or broken. These particular shells feature scenes in cockfighting, locally known as sabong, and horse racing, which are events that people enjoy and evoke a sense of thrill and excitement. The cockfighting carving shows much attention to its surrounding, as a crowd gathers behind fences to witness the event, three men are seen by the side as they are placing bets, and the scene expands further to a background of a village with people walking around and seen peeking out of the windows of small houses while at front of a faded landscape of trees by the distance. The scene of the horse race although shows less detail, it is consistent in similar style to the cockfighting scene, as it shows a crowd of people gathered behind a fence witnessing the race while some are under a hut resembling the style of the houses from the previous shell carving. The subtle detail seen in these two shells harken back to the Chinese influence, as the styles seen here show similarities in how houses resemble pagodas and the landscapes and backgrounds show great detail resembling Chinese paintings. According to José Maria A. Cariño and Sonia P. Ner, to immerse oneself into engraved shells such as these, one must place it in front of light as it reveals and highlights the greater detail and beauty behind the craftsmanship of these shells. SOURCE Cariño, José María A. and Sonia P. Ner. Pearl of the Orient: The Philippines in a Shell. Ars Mundi, Philippinae. Manila. 2007.