Magnificent Shell Cameo as a Brooch Set in Gold, c. 1850

A shell cameo of the middle 19th century is presented here in a brooch. We see, rendered in profile, a beautiful young lady with flowing hair. She is dressed in a ram's skin and wears rich jewellery of vine leaves, vines and grapes in her hair. An engraved and chiseled setting of gold holds the cameo and makes it wearable as a brooch. The sitter is a so-called Bacchante, a follower of the Greek god Dionysus, who was famous and infamous for his lavish feasts, the so-called "Bacchanalia". The Roman Bacchanalia probably originated from spring festivals. At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, the cult celebrations developed into excessive revelries accompanied by dances and orgies, which were held in secret. In later centuries, bacchants became synonymous with celebrating fun-loving people, but especially with lovers of good wine. The shell cameo, created in the years around 1840, shows one of these bacchantes in her enchanting beauty. The cut of the cameo is extremely vivid and rich in detail and testifies to the high skill of its presumably Italian cameo cutter. Especially the details of the clothing and the vines leave us amazed in their finesse of execution. The relief stands out brightly against the dark ground of the shell and a thyrsos staff is added to the figure as an attribute. The fineness of the engraving is matched by the quality of the setting in high karat gold, which also shows fine engravings in plant forms in detail. Thus, this piece of jewellery is particularly suitable to be a gift for a person who is not averse to the pleasures of life and loves the world of classical antiquity as much as the presence at glittering parties.

Estimate:$1,326.68

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