Bezoar Stone with Turned Ebonised Wooden Stand, 18th century.

Measures 6.9 x 6.8 x 6.6cm.

A substantial bezoar stone of rounded form, its surface displaying the characteristic granular, mottled texture produced by successive accretions within the stomach of a ruminant animal, most commonly a goat or camel. The sphere has a dense, dark, mineralised exterior, with subtle natural variations in tone and lustre that reflect its organic formation. It is presented on a turned ebonised wooden stand, shaped with a stepped foot to offer stable and elegant support.

Bezoars were prized throughout the medieval and early modern worlds as potent antidotal substances. The term derives from the Persian p?d-zahr (‘counter-poison’), and such stones were introduced to Europe through medical and mercantile exchanges with the Islamic world from the 11th century onward. For centuries they were believed to neutralise poison when dipped into a liquid, or when mounted in drinking vessels or wearable amulets. Their high esteem ensured they were often set into luxurious jewelled objects or carried as protective talismans, valued equally for their rarity and the perceived universality of their curative powers.