Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Unknown
A sculpture - amulet with two dolphins. 19th century

$1,421.28
£1,044.11
€1,200
CA$1,951.47
A$2,187.26
CHF 1,145.06
MX$26,989.51
NOK 14,384.12
SEK 13,540.02
DKK 9,131.11
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

A coral sculpture - amulet with two dolphins, fruits and leaves, symbols of abundance and life. Nineteenth century. Weight 17gr Created from a single sprig of coral, carved, engraved and polished. Italian workmanship of the Trapani tradition, but difficult to place more precisely, as the Trapani artisans moved around Italy over time, forming, among other things, a lesser-known processing center in Livorno (Tuscany), the place of probable creation of this splendid object. Sculpture with two fish, probably two dolphins, or 2 marine monsters, which transform themselves into a kind of cornucopia, from which fruits emerge in abundance. The gift to the newborn therefore had a sense of protection and above all of future male fertility. The peculiarity of this small ancient sculpture lies in the double fish, while usually it was a fish (or a snake). In the culture of southern Italy it was traditional to give a thread of worked coral to a newborn male: amulets in the shape of animals/sea monsters called "SCURSUNA" (plural of SCURSUNI). It is a word from the Sicilian dialect which generically designates a reptile, or various species of cylindrical and elongated snakes, venomous and not. In the popular imagination they were traditionally associated with bivalent authorities, sometimes negative, as bearers of poison, sometimes positive, as protective spirits. The gift to the newborn therefore had a sense of protection and above all of future male fertility. The peculiarity of this small ancient sculpture lies in the double fish, while usually it was a fish (or a snake).
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 1.89 in (4.8 cm)Width: 2.96 in (7.5 cm)Depth: 0.6 in (1.5 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Firenze, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2464214148562

More From This Seller

View All
Coral brooch. Naples. XIX century
Located in Firenze, IT
Antique Italian Coral brooch. Naples.
 XIX century. Total weight 5,60gr. Size 4,2 cm FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING Coral engraved and carved in...
Category

19th Century Romantic More Art

Materials

Gold

Entangled bodies, terracotta sculpture, 1942, Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981).
Located in Firenze, IT
Entangled bodies, 1942. Terracotta sculpture by Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981). Tuscan Sculptor. Material: Hand-modeled terracotta by the artist. Unique piece. Dimensions: Height 23 c...
Category

1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Rosenthal Porcelain Ballerina Sybille Spalinger Figurine Model 1772
Located in Firenze, IT
Ballet Dancer. Rosenthal Selb Porcelain Manufactory. Model 1772 Porcelain figurine representing the ballet dancer Sybille Spalinger, made by the Rosenthal Art Department (Kunstabtei...
Category

1940s Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Dancing male figure, terracotta sculpture, 1930s-40s, Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981)
Located in Firenze, IT
Dancing male figure, terracotta sculpture, 1930s-40s, Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981). Terracotta modeled by hand by the artist. Unique piece. Dimensions: Height 45 cm. The choice of ter...
Category

1930s Art Deco Nude Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Guatemala. Maschera di Baila de la Conquista. Inizio XX secolo
Located in Firenze, IT
Questa maschera guatemalteca del inizio del XX secolo, scolpita in legno e utilizzata per la danza della Riconquista (Baila de la Conquista) , raffigura vividamente un uomo europeo, ...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Intaglio

Necklace With Cameo Depicting Vesuvius. Late 19th. Naples
Located in Firenze, IT
Necklace with cameo depicting Vesuvius. Antique cameo, hand carved at the end of the 19th century. Central cameo with filigree cast, size h cm 2.5, L 3cm. Hand-engraved cameo on shell. Italian workmanship, typical of Naples and the areas around Vesuvius. Similar cameos were sold to travelers, attracted by the archaeological areas of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Neapolitan area town Torre del Greco Torre del Greco near the main center of cammeos carving and coral processing, thanks to the skill of its fishermen and its artisans, who specialized in refined and original techniques In excellent condition. With antique chain with blue milk glass beads. Necklace can be combined with similar earrings...
Category

Late 19th Century Folk Art More Art

Materials

Glass, Intaglio

You May Also Like

Inseparable, Sculpture, Hydro Stone Handmade by Garo, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: (Garo) Karapet Balakeseryan Medium: Hydro Stone, One of a Kind Year: 2023 Style: Classic, Impressionism, Subject: Inseparable, Size: ...
Category

2010s Impressionist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone

20th Century French Terracotta Sculpture
Located in High Point, NC
This evocative 20th Century French Terracotta Sculpture captures a moment of struggle and resilience. The earthy, raw terracotta forms the shape of a figure seemingly in the process ...
Category

20th Century French Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Chinese Carved Coral Figure of Shou Lao, Early 20th Century
Located in Austin, TX
A wonderfully Chinese carved coral branch in the form of Shou Lao, also called Shouxing, the Chinese god of longevity, Republic period, early ...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Coral

Two Rare Italian, Terracotta Sculptures
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very rare Italian terracotta sculptures of a knight, and horse, both in repousse armor decorated with dramatic plumes. Each mounted on cu...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Baroque Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta, Lucite

Bronze Sculpture Native American
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A bronze sculpture of a Native American signed Rowley AP and dated 2000. It is an artist's proof by the American Artist Rick Rowley we believe. Nice patina...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Sculpture Native American
$2,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Coral, Stone Sculpture.
Located in Marcianise, Marcianise (CE)
This carved coral sculpture represents the body of three figures and animals intertwined with each other. This sculpture rests on a wooden trunk...
Category

Vintage 1950s Retro Figurines and Sculptures

Materials

Coral

Coral, Stone Sculpture.
$8,527
Free Shipping