Rare Antique Religious Artwork Display Cabinet with Scrolling Mechanism

  • Sale
  • Regular price $3,795.00
  • 1 available


Rare Antique Religious Artwork Display Cabinet with Scrolling Mechanism 

St. Dominic’s Chaplet of The Holy Rosary – The Sacred Mysteries

Protected by Patents in Various Countries – United States: Patented January 27, 1903; September 29, 1908; Design Patent issued September 20, 1904; Copyrighted 1903 by J.C. Curtin, New Haven, CT.

This remarkable, unique J. C. Curtin invention was designed for religious display and education. The beautifully framed cabinet contains an internal mechanism that scrolls through 16 antique lithograph images of the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the Catholic Faith. The inventor, J.C. Curtin, limitedly distributed them at the time with the support and Imprimatur of the Most Rev. John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. 

This fully operational, intact work of art is truly a rare find. Not many were created; and the mechanisms typically broke due to regular use. After extensive research on various “collectible valuation” search engines, this particular piece is the only one that we have found in fully operational, intact condition. Only one other has been found - in questionable condition, not operational and missing parts. Sadly, that piece was lost to sale online by an individual who had no sense of the piece’s rarity and value; despite its poor condition.

Approximate Dimensions: Frame - 27.75" high x 20" wide x 5" deep; Display Window - 9" high x 7" wide; Weight - 10 lbs.

Lithograph Plates - Copyrights 1902 by J.C. Curtin

Plate 1 – Our Blessed Lady Institutes St. Dominic’s Chaplet of The Holy Rosary
Plate 2 – First Joyful Mystery – Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel
Plate 3 – Second Joyful Mystery – Visitation of The Blessed Virgin to St. Elizabeth
Plate 4 – Third Joyful Mystery – Nativity of Our Blessed Lord
Plate 5 – Fourth Joyful Mystery – Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple
Plate 6 – Fifth Joyful Mystery – Finding of Jesus with the Doctors in the Temple
Plate 7 – First Sorrowful Mystery – Agony and Prayer of Our Saviour in the Garden
Plate 8 – Second Sorrowful Mystery – Scourging of Christ at the Pillar
Plate 9 – Third Sorrowful Mystery – Crowing of Jesus with Thorns
Plate 10 – Fourth Sorrowful Mystery – Jesus Carrying His Cross
Plate 11 – Fifth Sorrowful Mystery – Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord
Plate 12 – First Glorious Mystery – Resurrection of Our Lord
Plate 13 – Second Glorious Mystery – Ascension of Christ into Heaven
Plate 14 – Third Glorious Mystery – Descent of The Holy Ghost on The Apostles
Plate 15 – Fourth Glorious Mystery – Assumption of The Blessed Virgin into Heaven
Plate 16 – Fifth Glorious Mystery – Coronation of the Blessed Virgin In Heaven

Condition consistent with age and history. Some minor loss to gilt gesso frame. Please use zoom feature to check item condition, and contact us with any questions prior to purchasing. 

Please note: Our pictures are not stock photos. All of our pictures are personally taken by us, in our studio, under diffused lighting using professional photography studio diffused-light softboxes with full spectrum CFL photo-video 5500K daylight bulbs. Additionally, we enhance the brightness, contrast and exposure of our pics to fully reveal the details of our items. We do not photo-edit the condition or adjust the color of our pictures. When viewing our items, please be aware that the colors reflected on different computer monitors are not absolutely consistent and vary widely. Also, the color of a particular item may appear slightly different in subdued home lighting as opposed to studio lighting. 

DO-092017-09