Tudor rosary

Description

A Tudor rosary, c.1540, made up of 57 wooden beads arranged in decades. Each bead carries a pattern that has been carved or scraped into it using a gouging tool. They are strung together using modern woven cord. This rosary consists of 50 Aves (Hail Mary), represented by the smaller beads, and 6 paternosters (Lord's Prayer), represented by the larger beads. The user would recite a Lord's Prayer followed ten Aves, using the beads to count each one. This rosary would take around 15 minutes to recite. Each bead has a large, deep diagonal cut; the thumb can be pushed into this cut, and between thumb and forefinger rotated around the cord.