Enivrez-Vous!

Large Pendant With Shell Cameo Of A Bacchante, Italy Circa 1870 & Later

€ 590.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Unit price €590.00 / piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Large Pendant With Shell Cameo Of A Bacchante, Italy Circa 1870 & Later

Description

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

Enivrez-Vous - Be intoxicated, for one must always be drunk, whether of wine, of poetry, or of virtue. These are the famous words of Baudelaire, published posthumously in 1869 in the poetry collection Le Spleen de Paris. They were to become a guiding principle for an entire generation of writers of the decadence movement. Around the same time the poem was published, the present piece of jewellery was made. It shows a bacchante or maenad, a follower of the wine god Bacchus or Dionysus. She can be recognized by the vine leaves in her hair. The name Maenad is derived from "mania", frenzy, because wild revelry and orgies were celebrated among the god's followers. Thus, Bacchus was also considered the god of intoxication. Represented in profile, the Bacchante turns her face to the right. Her garment, an antique peblos is lovingly worked out. Particularly beautiful here is also the clear separation between the tinted white of the portrait and the soft, darker ground of the shell. A simple setting of gilded tombac with an engraved face and an eylet of gold added later makes the cameo wearable as a pendant. As a classic piece of jewellery, it conveyed an interest in the culture of antiquity and an accompanying higher education even in the 19th century, despite its subversive motif.

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Shell cameos with mythological motifs were created especially in the 19th century in Italy for travelers on a Grand Tour. This so-called cavalier tour, which should perfect the education of the travelers, led to the ancient buildings, to the art collections of Rome and Naples and the early tourists brought from their journey small souvenirs across the Alps, which should tell of the experiences of the Italian journey.

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Size & Details

Enivrez-Vous!

€ 590.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Unit price €590.00 / piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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