Fun facts about parrots: the Kama Sutra lists teaching a parrot to speak as one of the 63 things a man should master; in Pliny the Elder's writings he advises owners to hit the birds on the head to motivate them to speak (please don't do this); some varieties of parrot can live to be octogenarians! The first recorded pet parrot in the British Isles belonged to Henry VII (an African Grey), but modern parrot-keeping in Britain didn't really kick off until the 1800s. This unusual early 19th century parrot was painstakingly carved in coral and almost certainly was a souvenir picked up along the storied Grand Tour.
MATERIALS: 10k gold fittings (tests), coral, new 14k gold chain
AGE: c. 1820
CONDITION: Very good
SIZE: 1 1/2" length including the bale, 3/8" width, 18" chain