Resting on Laurels?

Antique Lava Cameo of Daphne as Pendant in Gold, Italy Around 1870 & Later

€ 690.00 ^*

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Unit price €690.00 / piece

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Antique Lava Cameo of Daphne as Pendant in Gold, Italy Around 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!

Every traveller of the Grand Tour reached Naples sooner or later on his journey through Italy. The dream destination of the mostly young men in the years around 1800 overwhelmed with its location on the Gulf, the spectacular view of Mount Vesuvius, the gentle climate, its rugged yet enchanting cityscape and - last but not least - its rich, immortal art treasures of antiquity. In the 18th century, so many spectacular art treasures had already been brought to Naples from the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which perished during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. that the museums here enjoyed worldwide fame. Their visit was a compulsory stage in the city. And of course, no one skipped a visit to Pompeii itself with its macabre charm. No wonder, then, that souvenirs of this trip were also not to be missed: a local art industry arose, which produced especially cameos of the best quality from coral, shells and coloured local stone varieties, which were sold as "lava" of the volcano. Objects made of this material were particularly appreciated by travellers. We can easily reimagine their fascination: To hold here in our hands a piece of the mountain that had brought such a gruesome end to the life of the Ancient World - but had also made possible its preservation for later generations! What better souvenir is conceivable? Here now is depicted the mountain nymph Daphne, who in classical mythology met a tragic fate: The god Apollo had once taunted Eros for being a bad shot. As a result, Eros, in order to take revenge, shot a love arrow at Apollo, but a leaden one at Daphne. Thus, the god was inflamed with passionate love, but the nymph was hostile to him. When she tried to escape his advances, she saw only one way out: she asked her father, a river god, to help her. He then transformed the daughter into a laurel tree. Since then, according to mythology, the laurel was sacred to Apollo and he wore a wreath of its leaves on his curly head. The cameo shows Daphne in profile. Above her, laurel leaves refer to her fortune. The cameo from around 1870 was probably acquired in Italy as a travel souvenir, in order to be able to show this reference to classical education and the world of the south to loved ones in the cool homeland. The 14-karat gold setting, on the other hand, was not made until the second half of the 20th century in the United States.