Think of me, Psyche

Antique Shell Cameo of Psyche Mounted as a Gold Brooch, c. 1880

€ 398.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Antique Shell Cameo of Psyche Mounted as a Gold Brooch, c. 1880

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 cameo depicts a figure from classical Greek mythology: depicted in profile is the princess Psyche, whose great beauty aroused the envy of Venus. When her son, Cupid, the messenger of love, fell in love with the mortal, Venus assigned the unfortunate woman several dangerous tasks. But contrary to all expectations, Psyche mastered the trials with the help of her lover, who disobeyed his mother's orders. In the end, the supreme god Jupiter took pity on the couple. He gave Psyche a cup of ambrosia and made her immortal, so that she was admitted to Olympus. We recognise Psyche here by her attribute, the butterfly wings in her hair. Her gaze is chastely cast downwards and she is wearing an antique-style robe. The white of the depiction stands out beautifully and clearly against the dark background. A chain-shaped frame made of gold frames the round work and turns it into a brooch. The cameo and frame were created around 1880. This cameo probably also followed the classic path of a shell cameo: Created in the Bay of Naples, it was brought to the north as a souvenir from a trip to Italy and set here. The piece of jewellery is beautifully preserved and came to us from Lauenburg.

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For centuries, owning gems and cameos was the aspiration of almost all major collections of applied arts and cabinets of curiosities, from the Green Vault in Dresden to the treasury of Rudolf II and large private collections such as that of Baron von Stosch in later times. The 18th and 19th centuries produced numerous large collections of impressions of ancient seal stones and gems, which were able to represent the ancient pictorial language of glyptic art almost in its entirety, as they were also an expression of humanistic education. However, the art of gem cutting has survived to this day in Italy, especially in the Bay of Naples, where it has been passed down from generation to generation. Today, the Scuola dei Cammei in Torre del Greco is the world's only large-scale training centre for gem cutters in Italy. Travellers to Italy have always been particularly important for the teaching of stone and shell carving north of the Alps, bringing home impressions and cut stones as well as engraved shells from their educational journeys to enjoy.

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Size & Details

Think of me, Psyche

€ 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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Think of me, Psyche

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