Abergavenny Antiques

Description

A rare set of antique (circa 1870s) rosary beads. The rosary is made from the seed pods of the water caltrop Trapa bicornis, commonly known as the devil pod or bat nut. The plants are native to slow moving rivers in Eurasia and Africa but they are also cultivated in the lakes of Majena and Varesa in Italy, especially in the Bay of Angera, Lake Majena.

The rosary beads are in excellent antique condition with no breaks or cracks to the pods. The hard, hollow, black pods are linked together with metal pins which pass through the pods and then short sections of steel chain. They have a drop of 38 inches (96.5cm) with a diameter of 61 inches (155cm) with a short drop of 5 inches (12.7cm) leading to the Maltese Cross of 2 ¼ inches x 2 ¼ inches (5.7cm).