The thorny oyster (Spondylus gaederopus), a Mediterranean bivalve prised during prehistoric times for its distinctive spiny purple shell, has since been overlooked in cultural and scientific records. Frequently depicted in Early Modern still-life paintings, particularly in Italian works of the seventeenth century, its representations were historically misidentified as scallops or common oysters. This participated in obscuring the visual evidence of occurrence and human use of this species during this period.
This report identifie the species in 43 paintings dated between 1635 and 1750, predominantly by members of the Neapolitan Recco family, revealing its former abundance in coastal markets. Complementary historical documents, local knowledge, and oral testimonies confirm its culinary and cultural significance across Italy from the Early Modern period to the twentieth and twentieth-first century. Comparative measurements indicate a decline in average shell size since the seventeenth century, consistent with a potential harvesting pressure.
A. Oil on canvas by Loth Onofrio (Naples, 1665 – Naples, 1715), Natura morta con corallo e ostriche (ca. 1690)
[Museu de Belles Arts de València, Spain], CC-BY 4.0 (photo credits: Francesco Bini),
B. Oil on canvas by Giuseppe Recco (Naples, 1634 – Alicante, 1695), Calamari e ostriche (ca. 1654-1695)
[Museo di Capodimonte, Italy], CC-BY 4.0 (photo credits: Giuseppe Guida),
C. Oil on canvas by Giovanni Battista Recco (Naples, 1615 – Naples, 1660),
Nature morte aux poissons de mer et aux huîtres orientales (ca. 1655-1660)
[Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie, Besançon, France]
(image courtesy of Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie de Besançon,
photo credits: Chipault & Soligny, all rights reserved).
