Sea heart with a miniature of the Virgin, South America 17th century

A sea heart hollowed and carved with a miniature sculpture of the immaculate heart of Mary.

South American, 17th century.

Measures 3.5 x 2.7 x 1.2cm.

A rare piece of miniature devotional art, stylistically along with this specific depiction of the Virgin and the type of seed suggests an origin of South America (New Spain) created during the 17th century.

Sea hearts (entada gigas) are the seeds from the monkey ladder tree, they are members of the pea family which are found in Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, and Africa. They are notable for having largest seedpods in the legume family which can reach up to 2m (6.6ft) in length. There have been reports of pods up to eight feet (2.5 meters) in length. This pod, like all legumes, is a single carpel, the largest carpel of any known plant. Inside the pods are ten to fifteen seeds, each of which have a diameter of 6 cm (2.4 in) and a thickness of 2 cm (0.79 in). The seeds contain a hollow cavity, which gives them buoyancy. After being washed by rain into rivers and then the ocean, the seeds of sea hearts drift long distances on ocean currents.