Unusual Sculptural Shell Cameo of Zeus Set in Gold as a Brooch, c. 1845

Cameos from the 19th century are a world of their own. Whereas in the centuries before, antique cameos and cameos were kept in Kunstkammer cabinets and could only be admired by a privileged few, depictions of classical motifs in this era were worn and admired as pieces of jewellery. Many of these pieces of jewellery created in the 19th century are of exceptionally high quality, as this brooch proves. The oval work with an excellently cut shell cameo shows the head of Zeus en face, the father of the gods. Zeus was the most powerful god of classical antiquity; he had to bow to unpredictable fate alone. His face in our cameo is classically beautiful, with a striking profile and full of youthful, masculine charm as well as a curly full beard. His lion-like hair flows richly around his head; his curls and every one of his features are depicted in fine detail. A wreath of oak leaves adorns the divine head. The artist has skillfully used the curvature of the shell to lend the depiction a high degree of three-dimensionality. The clear separation between the creamy white of the portrait and the darker background of the polished shell is particularly beautiful in this cameo. The Neapolitan cameo cutter from around 1840 obviously based his depiction of the father of the gods on an antique model, such as those found in large numbers in the city's famous collections of antiquities. A gold setting engraved in relief with floral motifs makes Zeus wearable as a brooch.

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