Circa 1880's to 1900 Long Antique Tagua Beads Rosary-Most Likely A Nun's Rosary
This is a very long French antique rosary at 69.5 cm just a bit short of most long rosaries. I am describing this as most likely to have belonged to a nun or priest, first, because of its length which is a common characteristic of the clergy's rosaries. Second, this rosary shows that it has been so well prayed upon. Note the smooth wear on the crucifix and the wear on the carved Pater beads that most of the carvings have been smooth out. Even the center medal says the same. It also bears the wreath of the crown of thorns most sellers would describe as that of the Franciscan Order. The wreath has almost been flattened due to the many prayers that went with it.
Made of steel links, a metal used from the mid-1800's when steel became more available and was mass produced..... this rosary is showing some slight corrosion. Although some people would take this as a negative aspect of the rosary, it does point to the authenticity of this rosary belonging to this period. I always 'condition' any antique rosary that I perceived 'needs help' with utmost care bearing in mind to conserve its original features so that we can hope that this devotional item will last for posterity and that the next generation can enjoy it. Most of these religious items have been neglected, laid silent and sat in attics or in storage containers that have never been disturbed for decades or a hundred years. Please consider this aspect before buying if you are one of those that wants to leave this antique item as it was.
Since this is a very long rosary, kindly ask if you would want a 'modern' purse to go with it for free for its everyday protection, I have a very few left.
For your kind consideration is this circa late 1800's to 1900 antique rosary. I am hoping that the prayers on this very much used rosary stays on. Please take the time to study the details of this devotional item:
Crucifix: is typical silvered brass metal cross frame inlaid with gutta percha, a rubbery material coming from the sap of a particular tree originating from Southeast Asia. Gutta Percha was widely used for rosaries during this said period. Note that this inlaid material actually goes right up to the back of the cross fame, another characteristic saying it is older that similar crucifixes. Note the corpus is fixed with nail right up to the back of frame and halo is almost erased due to frequent use. A small amount of the gutta percha has been lost at the reverse but some preventive measure has been taken sometime to prevent further falling off. Size: 4 cm x 2.3 cm. Thickness: approx 2 mm.
Links: are made of steel in twisted 8-form. As mentioned, these links have been conditioned. Please don't hesitate to ask what method I have used if you have any concern. Although one of the negative aspect of steel links is corrosion, the positive side of steel links is its strength and durability. Most of the clergy's rosaries are made of hard durable metal links like brass or steel.
Beads: are made of tagua or corozo beads. The Ave beads are plain oval beads and the Pater beads are carved round beads. Note the wear on the beads particularly on the Pater beads by which most of the carvings have been smooth out. The nut beads shows the natural pores of wood and the natural irregular colouration of wood.
Size of Ave beads: 5-7 mm x 8-9 mm
Size of Pater beads: 7-7.5 mm
Center Medal: most likely in silvered brass as well. It depicts the image of the Virgin Mary. Note that this medal has also been smoothed out due to frequent use. The reverse side is marked: 'FRANCE'.
Medals:
Immaculate Conception: The first oval antique medal is made of aluminium and is next to the crucifix. Aluminium was favoured for the making of medals because of its ability to retain its shine and for its ability to show details. Most of this antique aluminium medals are now being appreciated for their unique beauty. To understand the value of aluminium in this period, please read my other listings on rosaries. This medal is marked: 'O Marie Concue Sans Peche Priez Pour Nous Qui Avons Recours A Vous' (O Mary Conceived Without Sin Pray For Us, We Recourse To Thee'). Reverse side shows the two Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Virgin Mary: This Art Nouveau medal is most likely in silver if not silvered brass. Blessed Mary is framed by roses.......each bead of prayer in the rosary is like a rose and as the prayer goes, it forms a garland of roses to be offered to Mary. (Reference: Stories of the Rose, The Making of the Rosary in the Middle Ages by Anne Winston-Allen). Reverse side depicts the scene of Apparition at Lourdes to St Bernadette.
Length: 69.5 cm or 27 3/8 inches
59 beads
I will give a 10 % discount for a purchase of 3 different listings on buttons and fashion accessories. This promo is cancelled when another promo is on. If you have a particular requirement as to style, colour, use, size and others, please do not hesitate to let me know. For a quick search on buttons, please type in the ‘search’ box ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS BEFORE THE WORD ‘button’ or ‘buttons’: coat, jacket, cardigan, blouse, dress, shirt, craft, collectible, haute couture, high fashion, metal, button in card, unisex, Mother of Pearl or MOP, corozo, tagua, vegetable ivory, assorted or replacement. For sizes of buttons: Up to 20mm-Small size; 21mm to 30mm-Medium size; 31m to 40mm-Big size; 41mm to 50mm-Huge size. Kindly ask if you want more or less of the listed buttons.
To get an idea of the size of the rosary, kindly be guided by the following: Small: up to 15 inches long; Medium: 16 to 19 inches long; Large: 20 to 25 inches long; Huge: over 25 inches long. The rosary’s length is measured laid flat on table as if hanging on a nail.
All jewelry are cleaned and will be cleaned again for you before sending. Note that the 10 cents coin featured in the listings is 23mm or 2.3 cm in size.
Since my promo is out of the normal system of ebay selling and to get your 10% discount, the easiest way to avail of it is to pay the full price, then I will refund your discount including excess postage. Alternatively, you can email me for EACH ITEM you want BEFORE purchase so I can edit the prices with the corresponding discount and combine postage but you may risk missing out on the item in case somebody buys the item ahead of you.
Many thanks for your understanding!
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please pay within 3 days of purchase. Purchased item will be mailed after payment is cleared. Payment is via Paypal only. Non-payment after 3 days will mean change of mind and I reserve the right to relist item. Most of the items I sell are antique or vintage items. They have traits and traces consistent with time, use and age. Remember too that items are magnified in pictures. Please consider these characteristics before you decide to buy. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send an email. I will be most glad to answer any enquiry. I give enormous time to research, organise, describe, take pictures and give as much details to buyers. Please read descriptions carefully before making your purchase. Pictures are part of the description. Please examine them carefully before making your purchase. Refund of item is possible only if item received is NOT according to description. There is NO refund nor exchange for change of mind or for buyer’s remorse on purchased item. I do not give refund for items that arrived damaged. I take a great deal of effort in packaging items to be sent and what happens to item while in transit is out of my control. In the event of a refund as deemed necessary by ebay, item has to be sent back to me within 7 working days.
This store offers the cheapest possible postage to deliver your item. Due to Covid, cheaper international postage offered before is no longer possible and postage had increased dramatically. For your benefit, I always combine postage. Any excess postage will be refunded. A proof of mail and postage is happily submitted upon request. Most buyers are honest and so far, all items purchased in this store have all been received locally and overseas. Rosaries will be mailed via registered mail with tracking and signature only. Please note that there is no pick-up of items but only delivery through the post.
Your custom is very important to me. Please let me know if there has been any error, misunderstanding or problem in this transaction. We will try to work out something to solve any problem. With due respect and consideration to everyone, we can build a lasting selling/buying relationship. Best of all, please buy with confidence. Many of the items I am selling now are part of my collection for decades. They represent my lifetime’s collection. The majority of them are a one-off piece and if there are duplicates, it would be in small number. I have now decided to part with and share them to those who would love them as much as I did.