Featured Does anyone recognize this miniature glass bust of a Victorian lady?

I've had this for a while and have not been able to find anything like it. It came to me in an antique dollhouse lot. She has the typical early Victorian hairdo with pin curls on the side and a bun at the back. The base is thin metal, which someone decided to paint gold somewhere along the line.

The glass makes me think of the little colored glass dogs and other animals that were Cracker Jack prizes. But a Victorian woman just doesn't strike me as Cracker Jack material.

Google image search came up with nothing.

 

Are you sure it's glass? There are small busts carved out of carnelian and quartz and suchlike. Some date back to Roman times.

 

Are you sure she's not meant to be a classical figure? Additional photographs would help.

Debora

 

@Bronwen ???

 

No, I saw her, but from the single dark photo & can't see enough detail to know whether vintagerobin's description IDs her correctly or not. Think I see a high collar? If so, Victorian lady seems right. Would need to really see how hair is arranged. Other possibility is a Roman empress; she doesn't really look goddess-y.

 

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back with more pictures.

 

Thank you for the additional pics, we can see it a lot better now. I think your assessment was correct, glass and an early Victorian lady.

Maybe she was intended as a bust for a doll's house?

 

She did come in a dollhouse lot with a lot of Victorian miniatures.

 

This auction listing is the closest thing I could find. They say it's purple Tourmaline but it looks like frosted glass to me just like mine.

https://www.bidsquare.com/online-au...ple-tourmaline-bust-9k-gold-stick-pin-5702694

 

It looks like there are bubbles. If I am right, it is also glass.

 

The tops of the heads are very similar.

 

I decided to clean her up. There were 2 pieces of a jewelry rosette between the head and the base. I think she may have been a stickpin too.

 

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/fabulous-antique-gold-molded-glass-blackamoor

 

Think so too. A classical bust.

Debora

 

Searching for glass head stickpin brings up horse heads and dog heads too. All in purple glass and mounted like the blackamoor pin.

 

To the best of my knowledge, purple is the one color tourmaline does not come in.

 

or



First is the Antinous Mondragone, second is Ariadne. Both have associations with Dionysus.

 

Glass I think, but doing a good job of imitating amethyst with a touch of citrine.