Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This bottle showing Jesus on the cross was made in 1773 as identified inside the bottle on a piece of paper midway on the back of the cross. Above Jesus and on the back of the cross is an INRI plaque. Other symbols in the bottle are a mallet, pliers, sponge, spear, and dice. There is a scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel prominently hanging from red thread around the cross and resting near the feet of Jesus. The bottle is sealed with a wooden stopper with a wooden crosspiece making it impossible to remove the stopper. The top is a wonderfully carved wooden lock going through a lwood ink.Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, and the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (also known as the Brown Scapular), is the habit of that Order. In its small form, it is widely popular within the Catholic Church as a sacramental and has probably served as the prototype of all the other devotional scapulars. The liturgical feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16, is popularly associated with devotion to the Scapular. According to the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship, the Brown Scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer.