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Antique pendant brooch with the shell cameo of a bacchante, circa 1870

€ 398.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique pendant brooch with the shell cameo of a bacchante, circa 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!

"Be intoxicated, for one must always be drunk, whether with wine, poetry or virtue." These are Baudelaire's famous words, published posthumously in 1869 in the poetry collection Le Spleen de Paris. They were to serve as a motto for an entire generation of writers of the Decadent Movement. This piece of jewellery was created around the same time as the poem was published. It depicts a bacchante or maenad, a follower of the god of wine Bacchus or Dionysus. She can be recognized by the vine leaves in her hair. The name maenad is derived from "mania", frenzy, as the god's followers celebrated wild feasts and orgies. Bacchus was therefore also regarded as the god of intoxication. Depicted in profile, the Bacchante turns her face to the right. Her garment, an antique peblos, is lovingly crafted. The clear separation between the tinted white of the portrait and the soft, darker background of the shell is particularly beautiful here. A simple gold-plated metal setting makes the cameo wearable as a brooch or pendant. As a classic piece of jewelry, it was also wearable in the 19th century, as despite its subversive motif it conveyed an interest in the culture of antiquity and the higher education that went with it.

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

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Size & Details

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€ 398.00 ^*

Content 1 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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