When One Goes on a Journey...

Large Victorian Shell Cameo With Portrait in Gold Setting, c. 1870

€ 1,490.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Large Victorian Shell Cameo With Portrait in Gold Setting, c. 1870

Description

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

A souvenir of the Grand Tour is the shell cameo in the centre of this brooch. The Bay of Naples was an obligatory stop on any educational journey known as the Grand Tour, an indispensable part of the education of young people of the upper classes. In the region at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, specialized artists made portraits of the travellers and carved them into shells. As souvenirs, these representations were given to loved ones back home. Our piece shows the portrait of a middle-aged man in profile. His slightly wavy hair surrounds his head in powerful strands and his face looks determined. Obviously it is the representation of a gentleman who had his portrait cut into a shell in Italy - perhaps as a souvenir of the journey or as an original souvenir for a lady who stayed at home. The cameo is held by an elaborate gold setting, which follows the so-called "aesthetic movement" of the 1870s, placing large spheres against a softly matted gold frame to create highlights. A concealed eyelet allows the large brooch to be worn as a pendant. To this day, the well-preserved piece of jewellery bears witness to a journey to Italy and holds the portrait of an unknown man who had his face carved into a seashell.

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For centuries, the possession of cameos was the claim of almost all great collections of decorative arts and chambers of curiosities, from the Green Vault in Dresden and the treasury of Rudolf II to large private collections such as that of Baron von Stosch in later times. The 18th and 19th centuries produced numerous large imprint collections of antique seal stones and cameos, which were able to represent the antique imagery of glyptic almost in its entirety, as they were also an expression of a humanistic education. However, the art of cameo-cutting has survived to this day in Italy, especially in the Bay of Naples, where it has been handed down from generation to generation. Today the Scuola dei Cammei in Torre del Greco is the only large-scale training centre for cameo-cutters in Italy. Of particular importance for the transmission of stone and shell carving north of the Alps have always been travellers to Italy, who brought home impressions and cut stones as well as engraved shells from their educational journeys to enjoy.

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Size & Details

When One Goes on a Journey...

€ 1,490.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

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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.

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When One Goes on a Journey...

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