by Ann Wagner



As diverse arts attest, the pigments and patterns of tortoiseshell, whether original or imitation, are beguiling to humans. Whether you fancy the honey-golden hues and deep cloudy browns on eyeglass frames, collect japanned items and antique tortoiseshell creamware dishes, or simply live with a tortoiseshell cat, you are participating in a seemingly timeless aesthetic taste (Fig. 1).


The natural material called tortoiseshell was actually shell harvested primarily from hawksbill and green marine turtles. Their protective curved shell has individual plates, called scutes, that can be reshaped by heating, with results that dramatically distanced the material from its origins as a turtle. Other artistic techniques involved flattening or pressing, veneering or carving, or highly polishing and sometimes color enhancing the translucent parts with red paper or fabric backing. The strong, pliant material could be decoratively pierced and inlaid with marine shell or costly silver and gold (Figs. 2-3). Countless craftspeople were creatively drawn to the lush, overlapping pigments and translucent areas, as well as to its smooth, tactile surfaces. Spectacles makers adopted tortoiseshell to conform to lenses for attractive, lightweight frames (Fig. 4).


(Clockwise from upper left) Fig. 1: Ivory Pyralin Du Barry: The Name-Stamp Means the Gift is Genuine, advertisement for duPont Ivory Amber Shell Pyralin, 1923. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Hagley Library (dpads-1803-00059). Pyralin is a celluloid colored to imitate ivory and tortoiseshell. Figs. 2-3: Box, probably made in China for trade, ca. 1770–1820.  Tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, brass, wood.  Winterthur Museum; Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont (1961.1452).


Marine turtles navigate warm currents and historically flourished in tropical coastal waters near Asia, the Philippines, and the Americas. The turtle shell trade was strongly established in inter-Asian markets, so by the late seventeenth century, European trading companies were seeking alternate resources. Waters and sandy coastlines in the Caribbean region supported significant turtle populations. Local fisheries as well as enslaved people labored to supply a voracious, profitable multinational trade.


With time and trade, tortoiseshell went from being a rare, imported prize to a commercially available product. The depletion of larger, older turtle populations led fisheries to catch younger turtles with smaller scutes. A comparison between the luxurious tortoiseshell veneering on furniture and picture frames of the 1600–1700s and the hand fans, small boxes, opera glasses and other dainty accessories of the mid-1800s reflects this transition. To sustain markets for tortoiseshell patterned items, manufacturers substituted cattle horn, both natural and artificially dyed. While not a new practice, it lasted until sources for horn diminished on all sides of the Atlantic Ocean (Figs. 5, 6).


(Clockwise from upper left) Fig. 4: Spectacles, made in China (Canton), ca. 1800-1850. Tortoiseshell, paktong. Winterthur Museum; Gift of Henry Francis du Pont (1952.0005). Fig. 6: Illustration of faux tortoiseshell back and side combs, Peddler’s trade catalogue (Enchantillon 1), ca. 1806-13. Watercolor and pencil on paper. Paris, France. Winterthur Library Joseph Downs Collection (Fol.89-64x068-1-013). Fig. 5: Box, probably made in England, ca. 1770-1820. Cattle horn. Winterthur Museum;  Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont (1964.2150).


Plastics and synthetic substitutes for animal organics were rapidly developed as the international desire lessened availability of the natural resources. Today the hawksbill turtle is critically endangered and the green turtle is endangered with declining populations. While international regulations such as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and individual state laws adversely impact the trade in antique objects, they also protect the living creatures.


There remains an enduring taste for tortoiseshell patterned objects, although collectors and museum audiences may have complicated responses to the historic natural material. Additionally, historians’ growing awareness of indigenous American peoples’ use of the name “Turtle Island” to describe their homeland places these land and sea creatures at the core of eco-critical histories. As a curator, I am fascinated and flummoxed by faux tortoiseshell. While the natural material endures or biodegrades, many plastic objects degrade in a few generations and are very challenging to conserve. My hope is that artists will continue to explore sustainable options for the inspiring beauty nature offers in the shell of the sea turtle.





1. Researching tortoiseshell in historic documents is tricky because it was also simply termed “shell,” which also described mother-of-pearl.


2. A British newspaper item reprinted in Boston, Massachusetts, stated that the French were importing 120,000 pounds of tortoise shell from their Caribbean trade in 1756 (The Boston Evening Post, November 8, 1756, 3).





Ann Wagner is curator of decorative arts, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Winterthur, Delaware.



This article was originally published in the 22nd Anniversary/Winter 2022 issue of Antiques & Fine Art magazine, a fully digitized version of which is available at www.afamag.com. AFA is affiliated with Incollect.com.