Antique Oyster Shell Cameo Set in Gold with Natural Pearls, c. 1820 & c. 1890

This brooch shows a rare depiction. In a detailed cut, the cameo made of oyster shell shows the youthful goddess Galatea gliding across the sea on a shell. A delicate robe arches like a velum over her figure, which stands out in white against the gray-blue background. Two dolphins appear to be pulling the seashell. Another sea creature in human form blows a horn and completes the mythological scene. The story of Galatea is about love and jealousy. The Cyclops Polyphemus persistently wooed the love of the beautiful nymph. However, when the daughter of the sea god Nereus fell in love with the young shepherd Akis, the jealous Polyphemus crushed the young man with a rock. Galatea turned Akis into a river in death. Galatea was repeatedly depicted in the Renaissance on a shell chariot above the waves of the sea. Raphael's fresco with the Triumph of Galathea is famous, cf. here in a reproduction engraving by Hendrick Goltzius. Less well known, however, is a depiction by Pierin del Vaga (1501-1547) in the collection of the Galleria Doria-Pamphilj in Rome. The depiction presented here in a brooch made of gold and pearls also shows Galatea in a shell chariot. The depiction is cut in oyster shell, a choice of material that is typical of cameos from the early 19th century. The elaborate setting was created later, in the last years of the 19th century. Jewelry made of warm gold, richly set with pearls, was very fashionable at the time, especially in Great Britain. Fittingly, we were also able to discover this unusually beautiful piece in the south of England.

Estimate:$2,683.87

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