In the 17th century, the exotic shells brought back by the Dutch East India Company stimulated an infatuation for shells that took hold of European collectors. The very wealthy, along with royalty, collected the prized rare shells with great passion. Dutch merchants opened a market specifically to sell these exotic rarities and newly discovered shell specimens. The upper classes of Europe collected the shells in their “cabinets of curiosity” to showcase a costly collection, often mounted in silver or gilt mounts. Many baroque and rococo architects designed and created grand “grottoes” covered in shells in many of the noble estates on the Continent. The French Queen Margaret, first wife of Henry IV of France, commissioned a shell grotto at Issy-les-Moulineaux. The “Grotto of Tethys” at Louis XIV’s Versailles was built in 1665 as an under-the-sea retreat for the king with precious stones, shells, and mirrors. A century later, Louis XVI had a shell cottage built at Rambouillet for Marie Antoinette.
LOT 288 | LARGE SHELL-WORK FLOWER DISPLAY AND DOME | 19TH CENTURY | £2,500 - £3,500 + fees
During the early 18th century, the collecting craze for shells in Holland rivalled the Dutch madness for collecting tulip bulbs. The shells were so expensive they were regarded as investments. Famous painters of the era painted still lives of shells, presenting them as a precious and luxurious object.
Shellwork, grottos, and grand scale furniture either covered with shells or meant to imitate shells remained popular throughout royal houses during the next century, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that shellwork truly came into vogue in the broad sense for the upper and middle classes, even trickling down to the simple ornaments for the working class. As ships brought back entire cargoes of shells, it’s not surprising that covering smaller objects with shells soon became fashionable. Shell art, or shellwork, as it is also called, was a pastime many Victorian society ladies enjoyed and shells could easily be purchased in many fashionable shops of the time. Little packets were sold already sorted and accompanied by printed patterns for forming shell flowers, boxes and frames. To attach shells to a decorative object, the shells were dipped into hot wax or glue, and arranged in fanciful designs. Even Queen Victoria was fond of shell art, she often had gifts or shell work portraits commissioned for her court favourites.
LOT 289 | PAIR OF SHELL-WORK FLOWER DISPLAYS IN DOMES | EARLY 19TH CENTURY | £600 - £800 + fees
At the same time, enterprising working-class men and women who populated the port towns of France, Holland, and England found a way to craft and sell their handmade little “shell souvenirs” to bring much needed income to their households. Most of the shellwork souvenirs were designed for women; small boxes, sewing drawers, little frames, small mementoes that a sailor could tuck into his kit to bring back home. A shellwork industry sprang up worldwide in many busy ports.
A lasting testament to how far reaching and expansive the craze for shells is the oil giant Shell plc. The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company was a British company, founded in 1897 by Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted, and his brother Samuel Samuel. Their father had owned an antique company in Houndsditch, London which expanded in 1833 to import and sell seashells. As the trade in shells declined, the trade routes and ships built up by the company were turned instead to transporting goods including barrels of oil. They merged with the Royal Dutch Petroleum company after which the company "Shell" took its name.
douglas.girton@lyonandturnbull.com