ENGLISH, 2ND HALF 17TH CENTURY

Bezoar stones, formed from a calcified concretion found in the stomachs of some animals, were prized for their supposed medicinal properties, as well as being believed to act as an antidote to poison. The scarcity of bezoar stones by the 17th century led a group of Portuguese Jesuits in Goa to create a man-made version called 'Goa Stones'. These were a mixture of bezoar as well as other precious objects believed to have curative powers. Until the beginning of the 18th century, when medical authorities began to debunk the belief in these stones, they could sell for more then their weight in gold and were often contained in cases made from precious metals, such as the example offered here.