We Sell Sea Shells

The wonder of walking Gardiners Bay beach is to be immersed in Neptune’s royal treasure trove of sea shells. Scallops, cockles, Atlantic slippers, jingles, razorback clams and mussel shells abound.

I, along with my guests, have zeroed in on a particular apricot-hued shell whose pearlized translucency is irresistible. Somehow, my many weekend guests always return with fistsful of these gems.

Over the years we have amassed piles of this mesmerizing shell and placed this cache inside clear glass vases. The infinite variety of apricot shades that our shapely glass containers hold is always a conversation starter, particularly as these vases are located in our entrance hall.

Our guests know immediately that they have arrived at a seaside getaway and that restful meandering along the shore is just a few steps away. The gentle thrill of a seashell search is part and parcel of their East End experience, particularly along the edges of our bays and harbors.

The mere collecting and display of shells has been expanded upon by every civilization to include furnishings, interiors and architectural applications. Works of extraordinary craftsmanship have been created by artisans from the Roman Empire to the 21st century.

And as is the case for every great decorative art form, the French have coined a word for it: “

coquillage

.” Coquillage is defined as the decorative application of shells and mollusks to the surfaces of furniture, mirrors, lighting fixtures and architecture—in other words, mosaics with shells.

Though discovered in the rooms of Pompeii and among other Roman and Greek ruins, the apogee of coquillage thrived during the Baroque period. Princes, counts and dukes royally bent on entertaining and impressing their kings and their guests, built subterranean-like grottos with waterfalls, pools and fountains spilling over shell-encrusted surfaces.

Filled with fantasy, mystery and a good dose of slimy sensuality, these highly imaginative caves gave architects and builders an outrageous outlet to flex their creative muscles. Horrifying creatures with sharpened teeth and snakelike bodies writhed around the grotto’s entrances. Bedecked in patterns of colored shells, these terrifying creatures glittered with pearlized “encrustaceans” of shells. Huge stalactites would drop with appliques of mollusks. Neptune and other goddesses of the oceans would raise their shell-covered tridents while clothed in all manner of scallop shell finery.

On the Italian island of Isola Bella, in the middle of Lake Maggiore, Carlo Borromeo III—of the powerful House of Borromeo—constructed a completely over-the-top garden and Baroque palace dedicated to his apparently quite fabulous wife, Isabella d’Adda.

Beneath this palace, his son, Vitaliano Borromeo VI, conjured up six rooms of some of the most magnificent coquillage in the world. Underneath spreading vaults and domes, millions of shells in blacks, whites and greys were applied to the walls, creating elegant-patterned architectural panels and decorative murals.

The first impression, of course, is that the space is created with textured marble; until you come closer and recognize the applications of tiny shells. Though this is serious Baroque architecture, the skin of shells reveals a lighthearted and playful elegance in the space. And to be sure, it strikes in the viewer a sense of awe at the patience and skill that this requires to imagine, assemble and apply these shell patterns.

The shell grottoes at the Borromeo Palace took more than 100 years to complete, so Vitaliano never lived to see his vision in it’s final aspect.

Every historical period saw its rooms and furnishings at some point encrusted with shells, but the robber barons of the late 19th century, who viewed themselves as contemporary royalty, viewed the shell grotto as a must-have addition to the mansions. From Vizcaya in Miami to the mansions of Newport and Long Island, a stylish Belle Epoque-era hostess would entertain in her evocative whimsical grotto ever so refreshingly cool in the dog days of the summer’s heat.

And with shell-encrusted nymphs and satyrs suggestively leaping about, a hoped-for tryst might then ensue.

Springing forward a few decades, the shell-encrusted consoles, commodes, mirrors and chandeliers became all the rage with the Palm Beach and Palm Springs set. Colorful creations in peach, red, pink, cream and turquoise were swung into existence as enormous chandeliers with delightful presence. As a result, a 1960s Palm Beach socialite could gaze at her mirror reflection surrounded by delightful clumps of coral entwined with sea horses, crab claws and lady slippers.

Pearlized shells stole the show from real pearls as they enhanced wall sconces, vases, bottles, napkin rings, ice tongs and all manner of cutlery. Mimicking the scrolls of the Rococo, the cabriole legs of center tables and sideboards swirled with oyster shells, clam shards and sea snails, portraying an extroverted exuberance.

Tony Duquette, the theatrical decorator and stage designer, could not imagine a world devoid of coquillage. His chandeliers, lamps, curtain valances and objets d’art remain immortalized in the pantheon of coquillage.

Though sometimes bordering on the knife’s edge between tacky vulgarity and audacious style, coquillage in the hands of masters can be stunningly elegant.

A gorgeous powder room created by Jed Johnson was a mastery of coquillage, applied to classic architectural paneling within a restrained taupe, greige and buff color scheme. The shell work was both intricate and carefully applied, capitalizing on all the textural sculptural and tonal complexity of the shells themselves.

At a visit to Kathy Rayner’s magnificent East Hampton garden, guests of the East Hampton Historical Society discovered one of Long Island’s most beautiful shell grottoes. Exotic opalescent shells from around the globe have been fashioned into bouquets of flowers floating in a sea of pearlized clam shells. With candle niches dappled about, this fabulous cavern of earthly delights must enchant in the evenings as much as it dazzles in the daytimes.

Coquillage, considered a craft—versus an art form—is remarkably accessible and easily rendered. Applying the skills of the tile installer that are used when attaching mosaic tile to various surfaces could be most useful.

These chandeliers, mirrors, furnishings and objects are always charming, bohemian, eccentric and ofttimes bizarre. As well-placed accents, they are chic and stylish. But a little goes a long way.

As they are often fragile, older pieces are harder to come by. Currey & Company specializes in an entire line of shell-work chandeliers and furnishings. And our talented local dealers offer up a smattering of interesting choices of coquillage to link your home ever closer to the sea that surrounds us.