Louis Renard, mermaid, from Poissons écrevisses et crabs… (Amsterdam, Reiner & Josué Ottens, 1754), State Library Victoria, RARESEF 597 R29 Mermaids have long been intertwined with the imagery of pearls, frequently portrayed like Boticelli’s Venus as dwelling within bivalve shells or scouring the ocean depths for treasures. This connection casts mermaids, whose dual corporeality symbolizes…