Bursa Wedding Shell Replica, Hand Cast Plaster Seashell

The Bursa Wedding Shell and Its Roman Associations

The Bursa wedding shell is knobbed and ridged along its length. This Bursa wedding shell is hand cast in plaster. It measures 10.25 in L x 6 in W x 5.25 in H. Studio White is a clean plaster white, and Fossil is a weathered stone tone.

Product Details

• Material: Hand cast plaster
• Finish: Studio White or Fossil
• Dimensions: 10.25 in L x 6 in W x 5.25 in H
• Weight: 3 lb
• Package dimensions: 14 in x 14 in x 14 in
• Production: Made to order in the USA, ready to ship in 2 to 3 weeks
• Note: Hand cast, so appearance may vary from piece to piece
• Product number: HP43460SW (Studio White), HP43460FOS (Fossil)

Shells, Venus and Neptune

Shells connect to Neptune and Venus in Roman mythology. Neptune ruled the sea, and Venus was born from it.

Botticelli painted her rising from the water on a scallop shell in The Birth of Venus, about 1485. The painting hangs in the Uffizi in Florence. Shells have a long history as wedding gifts, and this cast follows that tradition.

As wedding shell decor, it carries the old association between shells and marriage. A plaster seashell like this one also suits a bedroom dresser or an entry table. The Bursa wedding shell has a strong enough outline to stand alone. The knobs on this shell run in rows along the length of the body.

Bringing Nature Indoors

Bringing nature indoors is not new. Early botanists and naturalists collected samples from around the world and set out to catalog the natural world. A Bursa wedding shell follows in that line. Browse more casts in our Ocean Seashells Beach Nautical collection.

Made to Order

Each piece is cast to order in the USA. Production takes 2 to 3 weeks before it ships. Hand casting means color and surface vary slightly from piece to piece. Choose Studio White or Fossil at checkout.

Placement and Care

Set it on a shelf, console or mantel, on a flat dry surface. Plaster is heavy for its size. Dust it with a soft dry brush and keep it indoors.

About Augustus Addison Gould

Augustus Addison Gould was a Boston physician who described nearly 1,100 species of mollusks. He also helped identify shells brought home by the Wilkes Expedition, which sailed from 1838 to 1842.

Gould was a physician by training. Shells from far-off voyages came to his desk to be identified.

For More Reading from the Web

• Meet the American shell collectors of the 1800s, from Thomas Say to Edgar Allan Poe's borrowed textbook: The Conchologists: Searching for Seashells in 19th Century America - Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Albertus Seba, George Perry and the naturalists who catalogued shells, plants and animals from around the world: Natural Curiosities - The Metropolitan Museum of Art