Antique Lava Cameo in Three-Dimensional Cut as Brooch, Around 1890

Cameos made of coloured stone were a popular souvenir of a trip to the south of Italy in the 19th century. The material was considered to be the "lava" of Vesuvius and reminded of the sinking of Pompeii in 79 AD when the city sank under lava and ash of this volcano. The ruined cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which sank and were miraculously rediscovered, were a fixed item on the itinerary of every Italian trip in the 19th century and offered a very direct impression of ancient Roman everyday life. Jewellery made from the material of these places could thus become a beautiful, perhaps also somewhat macabre souvenir. Jewellery of all qualities was created, from simple small brooches to large parures. That lava as souvenir jewellery was in no way considered inferior in the eyes of contemporaries is shown by the fact that pieces made of lava can also be found in the oeuvre of such famous goldsmiths as the Castellani. Augusto Castellani, Fortunato Pio's son, describes in his book Delle gemme. Notizie raccolte, Florence 1870, p. 138, the so-called lava of Vesuvius, among other materials, as a known source material for cameo work in the Naples area. The brooch here was created in the late 19th century and shows the messenger of love, Cupid, in a particularly vivid cut. Venus' winged helper sits on a rock and holds a basket in front of his chest. What might he be hiding here? Are they rose petals with which he will soon mark the common path of a young couple in love? The relief is set in silver and can thus be worn as a brooch. We discovered it here in Berlin.

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