Under the Spell of Antiquity

Fine Victorian Gold Bracelet with a Shell Cameo of a Bacchante, c. 1870

€ 3,490.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Fine Victorian Gold Bracelet with a Shell Cameo of a Bacchante, 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!

Ennivrez-Vous – Intoxicate yourselves, for one must always be intoxicated, whether with wine, with poetry or even with virtue. These are Baudelaire's famous words, first published in Le Figaro in 1864. And although the moral corset was laced almost too tightly to breathe at the time, we find a recurring motif in the shell cameos of that time: the beautiful Bacchante with vine leaves in her hair, a thyrsos staff and panther skin on her shoulder. Here, in a subtle, learned and therefore socially acceptable way, the dream of the intoxication of the ancient Bacchanalia resonated, the processions of Bacchus, god of wine, intoxication, madness and ecstasy: an attractive contrast to the Victorian time of strict moral bourgeoisie and sober industrialization . Here the motif has been executed masterfully. The gem cutter immortalized the classic profile of a Bacchante in a fine cut. The grapes in her hair swell three-dimensionally towards the viewer, each individual lock of hair is worked out. The panther's head on her shoulder also stands out in rich detail, creating an almost perspective effect. This shows the mastery of the Italian gem cutters, who received more orders in those years than ever before and were able to perfect their craft. The exquisite cameo is set in a gold bracelet made of flat links that narrow towards the underside. The strikingly rich, shiny gold, like the subject of the gem, is a reference to antiquity and its high-quality gold jewelry, which shines in a rich yellow, the shapes and properties of which have now been discovered through excavations. However, the hand-applied flower engravings that adorn each individual link and illustrate the fashion of the years around 1870 are completely contemporary. So it becomes clear: Even though the bracelet references antiquity, it could not have been created at any other time than the high Victorian era. A piece of jewellery of remarkable quality. Not only its subject, but also the execution and shape with a strikingly large oval centerpiece allow it to be dated to the late 1860s to early 1870s. We discovered it in London.

Size & Details

Under the Spell of Antiquity

€ 3,490.00 ^*

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.

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Under the Spell of Antiquity

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