Antique Necklace with Conch Cameos in Gold, c. 1870

Fourteen women adorned with pearls are immortalized here as cameos. Some of them wear lush roses in their hair, others vine leaves. They are idealized representations of the spring goddess Flora with her attribute of the rose ornament as well as vine-wreathed bacchantes from the entourage of the wine god Bacchus, lined up here in a magnificent necklace held by simple gold settings. The cameos in pink conch shell are unusual and particularly beautiful. Originally from the Caribbean, the conch snail was used much less frequently for cameos than the red helmet snail or the red coral from the Mediterranean. Conch shell was imported from the distant West Indies and then processed into cameos in Italy. Here, the carvings were either purchased by tourists on the Grand Tour or exported and set as jewellery by European jewelers. A conch parure from the same period can be found, for example, in the British Museum. The heights of the detailed depictions create a rich play of light and shadow and give them an astonishing depth. This wonderfully preserved piece of jewellery was created around 1870, just a little while after conch shells were first introduced to Europe and made into jewellery. With its Greco-Roman-style depictions and motifs, it fits in with the fashion of those years, which valued historical references in jewellery and dress fashion.

Estimate:$5,600.22

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