"The Lord's Last Supper", Hall of Religion, Chicago, 1933
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The Lord's Last Supper carved in mother of pearl. The love of a young Armenian artist for his mother, almost 200 years ago. Reflected in this beautiful hand-carved masterpiece 1735. "...I will be preserved forever that said to his mother, and that year you something of a proof of my affection for you." He spent 27 years of patient, loving labor carving this masterpiece by hand from a block of pearl. Obtainable only from a blind mother in the Red Sea. He became totally blind after 65 days, after presenting the completed work of art to his mother. This religious heirloom was handed down from generation to generation until 1901, when it was stolen from the family by Turks who sacked the village where the Khan Bey family left the country. The family searched for the mother-of-pearl masterpiece for many years, and continued the search, finally locating and recovering the heirloom in 1929, but the diamonds were missing, which formerly ornamented the carving. The remarkable history of this most unusual and fascinating missing carving is related fully by its owner, the Chicago 1933 Hall of Religion at A Century of Progress exhibit. Profits from sale of these cards contributed to charity. |
