Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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Enameled Item Found by Scott C.
With Fleur-de-lis Highlighted by Laura Strolia.
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The first thing I want to do this morning is add some additional thoughts and information to the discussion on the enameled item found by Scott C. that I originally posted on 8/1/19.
As I previously mentioned Laura Strolia said ...I recently translated a document from the archives which may contain an answer for your posted object. Officials had sent a shipment of valuable items to the Sevillian Consulado in Spain for sorting. These goods were salvaged from the waters at Palmar de Ays and verification was needed as to whom owned them. One of the objects was listed as “una venera de calatrava en una conchita de vidrio guarnecida y su rosa de filigrana de oro” (AGI, Contratacíon, leg. 640, Nov. 17, 1716, Cádiz). This was a scallop (badge) of the Order of Calatrava. The small shell was garnished with (enameled) glass and its rose was of gold filigree...
I just received the following additional information from Laura.
I just wanted to show you this [referring to the illustration at the top of the post] because it is interesting how shapes were used. Also I don't think that "shell" literally meant from the sea, but indicated something was formed in that shape.
Here is an example of a “venera-concha” made of bronze. In ancient times, this would have been used as currency. The circular shaped shell then took on many meanings within Christianity and was used as a symbolic motif by military orders.
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Bronze Venera-concha Example Referred To by
Laura Strolia.
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And below is the emblem of the Order of Calatrava that I previously posted. You can see how similar it is to the one on Scott's find.
Laura also provided a link to a portrait in the Museo del Prado of an artillery general wearing a badge of the Order of Calatrava suspended by a ribbon.
Here is a section of that portrait.
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An Artillery General
Ca. 1660. Oil on canvasSource: See museodelprado link below. |
The web site says. The baton in the sitter’s right hand and the cannon indicate that he is an artillery general, while the insignia hanging from his neck denotes his membership of the Order of Calatrava. Stylistically this canvas is clearly indebted to the work of Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641).
Here is the link if you want to see the entire portrait.
https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/an-artillery-general/85df78c4-d19e-4e33-8bf7-6a31b2e627c2?searchid=4744143f-8574-6324-1a6f-15226caf58f3
We were wondering if the hole in Scott's find might be for a ribbon. Maybe.
Putting it altogether, it appears that Scott's item is an enameled badge of the Order of Calatrava, very much like one salvaged by the Spanish at the Palmar de Ays and documented as received in Seville. The fact that Laura found the listing in the original source document the same day that the item was posted in this blog seems beyond coincidence. The fact that Scott had the badge for years before it was posted makes the coincidence no less remarkable.
It is not often that a Treasure Coast beach find can be so clearly linked to similar items documented as salvaged by the Spanish on the Treasure Coast. For that we can thank Laura Strolia for the research and Scott C. for sharing his find.
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And I just ran across an article that seems to fit right in with the spirit of the day. The title is The Lord's Lost and Found.
Here is one example of what it is about.
...on the west coast of Florida whereby a woman related how she lost a watch in the Gulf of Mexico and then brought it up later on — while she was fishing miles away...
Coincidence? Or does everything have a purpose as part of a larger plan?
I talked about these kinds of things once before. A lot of detectorists believe in intuition or ESP. I did a poll on that once.
There are times when you just have a feeling or hunch.
Interesting to ponder.
Here is the link for the rest of the article.
https://spiritdailyblog.com/miracles/the-lords-lost-and-found
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There are no storms brewing right now.
Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
