Egyptian Revival Hardstone Cameo Brooch, France c. 1870

Egypt, the mysterious land of the pyramids, inspires and fascinates to this day. Every era, every century rediscovered the Nile and the empire of the pharaohs for themselves. In ancient times, Rome adorned itself with obelisks and statues from Alexandria. Through Napoleon's campaign in 1798, art objects in unprecedented detail once again reached France and Europe. New research deciphered the hieroglyphs and the first scientific excavations began to uncover the secrets of the tombs of the pharaohs. In the middle of the 19th century, the enthusiasm for Egypt reached a new peak. The reason for the media interest was the construction of the Suez Canal by an Egyptian-French joint stock company. The new transport route - before it had even been opened in 1869 - quickly developed into a real political issue. The British Empire and the Empire of France were hostile to each other. Influence and power in Africa and Arabia were at stake. Egypt was on everyone's lips and was praised as a source of wealth, a place of exotic culture and seductive secrets. This first-class cameo is a child of this enthusiasm for Egypt around 1870. We see a sphinx, half lion, half human, in frontal view. As a symbol of eternity, immortality and the mysterious, this motif was more suitable than any other to bring the foreign and at the same time attractive culture of Egypt to an easily recognizable denominator. Along with the scarab, the sphinx therefore became by far the most popular motif in Egyptian fashion around 1870. Here now the face stands out clearly against the white of the background with beautiful details in dark brown. The stonecutter has perfectly separated image and background from the stone, which has grown in layers. A golden cobra adorns the headscarf of the sphinx, turning the cameo into a so-called "camée habillé", a "dressed cameo". The wonderful stone cut is set in a broad gold setting and can thus be worn as a brooch. The hallmark on the setting reveals that the piece was made in France. Would you also like to be enchanted by the famous, mysterious smile of the Sphinx? Perhaps you're like us. Because when we discovered the brooch, we spontaneously thought of Howard Carter's exclamation when he entered Tutankhamun's burial chamber in 1922: "Can you see anything, Mr. Carter?" - "Yes, I see wonderful things!"

Estimate:$1,781.53

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