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A RARE MOTHER-OF-PEARL SNUFF BOX CARVED WITH VIEW OF AL-AQSA MOSQUE Bethlehem, Palestine, late 19th century Oval-shaped with silver mounts, the hinged cover is finely carved with a powerful symbol of Islam—the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem—surmounted by an Ottoman crescent moon and inscribed in Arabic (حرم قدس شريف, 'Holy Sanctuary'), all enclosed within a floral frame. The straight sides are carved with floral scrolls, and the base features vegetal motifs within geometric cartouches. Mother-of-pearl carvings of this type are usually executed with Christian themes; depictions of Islamic or Jewish subjects are rare. As a matter of fact, the Franciscans appear to have played a crucial role in the emergence of this craft industry, as evidenced by the models of Holy Land shrines in Palestine that they commissioned from local artisans from the late sixteenth century, and exported to Catholic Europe—particularly Venice—via Acre by the mid-17th century (Norris, J., Exporting the Holy Land: Artisans and Merchant Migrants in Ottoman-Era Bethlehem, in Mashriq & Mahjar 1, no. 2, 2013, p. 23). Bethlehem subsequently became the manufacturing center of a global industry in religious souvenirs, extensively traded by Bethlehem merchants throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. 3.2cm x 10cm x 8.5cm For a further example on the subject: For other mother-of-pearl objects with Islamic and Ottoman emblems, see Aydın, Hilmi, et al., The Sacred Trusts: Pavilion of the Sacred Relics, Topkapı Palace Museum, Istanbul, UK: Tughra Books, 2004, where a scale model of the Dome of the Rock is illustrated on p. 199. For further references on the subject: Piatnitskii, IU. A., et al. Pilgrim Treasures from the Hermitage: Byzantium - Jerusalem, Netherlands, Lund H., 2006.; Lindwer W., Pool H., From Jerusalem with Love: Art, Photos and Souvenirs, 1799-1948., W Books 2010. and Yidi Daccarett, E.D, and David Daccarett, K., 2005 et al. El Arte Palestino de Tallar el Nácar: una Aproximación a su Estudio desde el Caribe Colombiano., Colombia, cat. 15.