Magnificent Shell Cameo of a Bacchante as a Brooch With Gold Framing

One shell cameo of the late 19th century presents the piece of jewellery here. Shown in profile, we see a beautiful young lady with flowing hair, antique dress and a rich ornament of vine leaves and grapes. A plain setting of gold holds the cameo and makes it wearable as a brooch. The sitter is a so-called Bacchante, a follower of the Roman god Bacchus, who was famous and infamous for his lavish feasts, the so-called "Bacchanalia". The image of the bacchant in the history of Western art is strongly influenced by the form that the cult, which was originally Greek, took among the Romans. The Roman Bacchanalia probably originated from spring festivals. At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, the cult celebrations then developed into excessive revelries accompanied by dances and orgies, which took place in secret. In later centuries, bacchants became synonymous with celebrating fun-loving people, but especially with lovers of good wine. Our shell cameo, created in the years around 1875, 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 the Italian cameo carvers who once created it. Especially the berries and the vine leaves leave us amazed in their finesse of execution. Thus, this piece of jewellery is particularly suitable to be a gift for a lady or gentleman who is not averse to the pleasures of life.

Estimate:$1,338.2

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