Reliquary casket
PLACE/DATE
India, Gujarat and Goa, mid-16th century
MATERIALS
Tortoise shell and silver
DIMENSIONS
14 x 21 x 13 cm
INV
RL.1041
This chest, in tortoise-shell with silver fittings, is considered one of the most extraordinary examples of this type, given the non-existence of any metal support structure, and the oldest documented in Portugal, appearing in the inventories of relics of the Church of São Roque prior to 1588.
The technique used to make this piece consisted of polishing several plates of tortoise-shell, which were then hot welded together, so that their union was not noticeable. The clarity and colour that characterise this piece point to the use of shell from the ventral part of the hawksbill turtle, then processed in the Cambaia Bay area where, since at least the beginning of the 17th century, there are references to the production of objects with tortoise-shell of a lighter shade and polished.
