Large Antique Shell Cameo of Hebe in Red Gold, ca. 1865

This large brooch with its imposing shell cameo dates from the 1860s, a time when gem jewellery was particularly popular. The high oval piece in a wide frame of red gold shows a gem of bicoloured carnelian shell on the front. It depicts a scene from classical mythology: we see the youthful Hebe in peaceful coexistence with Zeus, the father of the gods, in the form of an eagle. In an artistic cut, the cameo cutter has captured Hebe as the goddess of youth at her most important task in the heaven of the gods: She is cupbearer to the Olympian gods and responsible for the preparation of food. Here she serves her father Zeus a bowl of the gods' ambrosia and a decanter of nectar. Hebe is dressed in a peblos and Zeus as a mighty eagle approaches in flight to take the offered food. In Homer, nectar and ambrosia appear regularly in the Iliad and the Odyssey as the immortalizing food of the gods. In the course of mythological tradition, Hebe is said to have been replaced in this task after her marriage to Heracles by the Trojan prince Ganymede, who then became cupbearer to the gods. The polished rose gold setting holds the cameo in a surrounding frame with a small winded band, making it wearable as a brooch. A strikingly beautiful piece of jewellery and a reminiscence of classical antiquity all in one!

Estimate:$1,334.85

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