It is called the 'sleeping lion' and, despite its strange appearance, is the largest freshwater pearl in the world: 120 grams. And besides, it's all nature's work. Here no human hand has intervened although throughout its 300 years of history it has gone through a few: from merchants, nobles and even the tsarina Catalina La Grande.
"It is a pearl that must have formed from a mollusc in a river or lake where he lived." And its origin is in China, around 1700 and was brought to Europe by Dutch merchants. Therefore, this engraving of the archives of the City Council of Amsterdam is the first graphical sample that exists of it. Now it goes on sale.
It is expected to exceed half a million euros although the owner's objective is another: "I want it to be in a museum so that everyone can enjoy it and not in a private collection" The auction lot includes a copper box Built specifically for the pearl after its discovery centuries ago. Both items will be on display this weekend, before being auctioned for the second time in almost 240 years.
