A Rare and Elongate Mounted Coco De Mer Shell

A desiccated and hollowed specimen of the double coconut, or coco de mer (*Lodoicea maldivica*), endemic strictly to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. The nut displays the characteristic deeply bilobed, anthropomorphic form that made the species a celebrated subject of cabinet curiosity from the Renaissance through the Victorian era.

The outer shell retains a deep, dark brown patina with areas of natural fibrous husk along the dorsal cleft and smoother, polished surfaces across the swelling lobes. It is presented in typical natural history fashion, raised on a central stem above a stepped, turned wooden base finished in ebonised black polish.