Antique Brooch with Shell Cameo Set in Silver, c. 1880

Alexander The Great

Antique Brooch with Shell Cameo Set in Silver, c. 1880

€ 690.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

This elegant brooch depicts one of the most famous figures of classical antiquity: Alexander the Great. During his short reign from 336 to 323 BC, Alexander conquered many countries and created the largest empire in the ancient world. On his campaigns from Macedonia, he conquered the Persian Empire and even penetrated as far as modern-day India. Alexander was already revered as a god by his contemporaries, admired for his glory in war and his gentleness - and at the same time despised for his hubris, his wars and the destruction of ancient Thebes: He polarized like no other - perhaps because of this - he was portrayed again and again through the millennia and his deeds were described, in all forms of the arts. He could serve as a role model for one's own fantasies of world power; Napoleon, for example, had himself portrayed as Alexander. However, in the course of the 19th century (for example in Droysen), a view increasingly prevailed that described him as an idealist who wanted to fulfil a civilizing mission. This cameo shows the god cut from a two-tone shell. Alexander can be recognized by his typical hairstyle with his hair swept back, the anastole, and his rich, curly hair. It was considered his special attribute and reached down to his neck in curls. His gaze is slightly upwards. This depiction of Alexander is very common in the cameo medium; it goes back to a sculpture now kept in the Uffizi, the Dying Alexander, see here. A fine example in the cameo medium can be found, for example in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, see here. An impressive work with the same theme was auctioned at Sotheby's a few years ago, see here. This high-quality cameo was cut in the Naples region in the 1880s. It is held by a magnificent silver setting in the typical, rich taste of the time and can be worn as a brooch.

Size & Details

Alexander The Great

€ 690.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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Alexander The Great

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