Antique Mission San Luis Rey Bell
ABOUT Exquisite 100-year-old bronze Mission San Luis Rey mini replica bell. Marked: AVE MARIA SANTO NIO; 1828. Lovely, clear, high pitched, resounding ring (audio below).
DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT 3 1/4 inch height, 3 inch diameter; 11 oz.
MAKER Forbes Foundry of Los Angeles, California. Mrs. A.S.C. Forbes (May 6, 1861 – September 18, 1951) was an American historical preservationist best known for her efforts to preserve California's El Camino Real and the old Spanish missions it connected. In 1904, the El Camino Real Association was founded, and Forbes' design for a guidepost to mark the route was adopted. A foundry was established, and in addition to El Camino Real mission bell guideposts, these mini mission bell replicas were created from sketches by Forbes of what she could see of the bells hanging in the towers when she visited the missions.
MATERIAL Bronze
CONDITION Excellent condition with a luscious patina.
HISTORY Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was founded by padre Fermín Lasuén on June 12, 1798, the eighteenth of the twenty-one Spanish missions built in the Alta California Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
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