Antique Shell Cameo of Athena in Gold, c. 1890

The heaven of the gods of antiquity knew many deities for every conceivable purpose and with different responsibilities. The goddess Athena, young, beautiful and graceful, was the patron goddess of Athens and at the same time the mistress of wisdom, strategy and the arts and sciences. This cameo shows us her profile carved in a two-tone shell. Her long hair is rich and flowing, the face of the goddess is shaped according to the ancient ideal of beauty with a straight nose and is calm, full, beautiful and elegant. A large round shield is placed at the goddess' side as an attribute and a simple gold frame makes the cameo wearable as a brooch. Shell cameos were made in large numbers in southern Italy in the 19th century, especially for travelers on the Grand Tour. The English in particular, but also other Gentiluomini from northern Europe, wanted to perfect their education here. They visited the ancient monuments, studied the art collections of Rome and Naples and brought back small souvenirs from their journey to the north. This cameo was probably created for just such an occasion. The work would have made a wonderful gift for a lover or even a future wife: what better compliment could there be than to be compared to this beautiful goddess of art and wisdom with the gift of an image of Athena? The little gem found its way to us here in Berlin.

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