Ariadne on Naxos

Fabulous Antique Agate Cameo as Brooch & Pendant, Circa 1880 & Later

€ 2,190.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Fabulous Antique Agate Cameo as Brooch & Pendant, Circa 1880 & 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!

The cameo at the center of this piece of jewelry is impressively detailed and extremely lifelike. The oval stone cut shows a figure from classical mythology whose life inspired operas and plays and who has been depicted in countless works of art throughout the ages: It depicts Ariadne, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos and his wife Pasiphae, the daughter of the sun god Helios. Ariadne is best known for the help she gave the Attic hero Theseus in defeating the Minotaur and escaping from the famous labyrinth. However, the extraordinary cameo shows the king's daughter in another episode of her life: the story goes that Theseus sailed with Ariadne from Crete to Athens, where he wanted to marry her. However, due to incomprehensible motives, the hero abandoned his plan - and ultimately left the beautiful woman alone on the island of Naxos. The abandoned and desperate Ariadne then fell into a deep sleep on the island's beach. There she was found by the god of wine Dyonisos (Bacchus in Roman), who immediately fell in love with her beauty and took her as his wife. From then on, Ariadne was the leader of the wine god's followers and appeared as such at the god's orgiastic cult processions, the so-called Bacchanalia. This is the form in which we see Ariadne here. Rendered as a classical bust portrait in profile, her curly hair, cut into the stone in great detail, is adorned with vines and grapes. The cameo is cut from two-tone layered agate and presents her face in a velvety matte finish against the gray background. Unlike shell cameos, where the soft limestone shell allows the carver to work easily, cutting a cameo in hard stone is far more difficult. This makes the quality of the stone carving, which was probably made in Idar Oberstein around 1880, all the more impressive. A curved yellow gold frame holds the cameo. Small decorative elements with diamond roses in platinum enliven the design. The cameo can be worn as both a pendant and a brooch thanks to a retractable eyelet and brooch accessory. The frame was created in the second half of the 20th century for the cameo, which was already antique at the time. Cf. also Charlotte Gere/Judy Rudoe: Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria, Woodbridge 2010, p. 464 ff. on cameos from this period. Our illustration here is an example of the Triumph of Ariadne by Hans Makart, 1873, today Museum Belvedere, Vienna.

Size & Details

Ariadne on Naxos

€ 2,190.00 ^*

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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Ariadne on Naxos

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