Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

I've found many banged-up dismounted cameos too. It stinks.

 

So much antique jewelry must be being lost at the moment. It is terribly sad

I have one more cameo I wish to ask about but it is rather small and I know my phone camera won't be able to capture it well. I'll post it once I have managed to requisition someone else's camera...

 

Speaking of Bacchus/Dionysus wreathed with ivy instead of grape vine, this is a recent acquisition of mine. Not the most nuanced of carving, but a sturdy piece of business. The ivy is carved in a pale brown translucent layer, just enough to stand out from the hair.



The decoration of the mount is something I have not seen before. In between the pearls, each of those little perforations is filled with something that seems almost like pencil lead, flush with the surrounding gold.

It is not signed, but does have notations, workshop's or dealer's, on the back. The original brooch has been retrofitted with a finding that turns it into an enhancer type of pendant: it can be opened so it can be added to beads/pearls or a chain with a larger clasp. The photo of the back better captures the sard color of the background layer.

 

And quite some time ago I promised to show another little Charles Schmoll ("Silz") piece, probably early work, but the only Aurora I have seen from him so far.

 

This morning I was hoping against hope to be able to snag this dancing maenad by Luigi Rosi, despite the damage to the shaft of the thyrsus:



because it has this detachable bail assembly that fits onto the pin stem:



which I could use with this "Clytie", acquired 8 years ago:



Alas, the bidding went beyond where I wanted to go right out of the gate.

 

14K....???
looks like the same frame !!!!!
could the bail assembly be located separate ???

 

The auctioneer says the Rosi is 18K. It does appear to be exactly the same mount design. Unfortunately, the way the world of cameos works, removable bails seem to get lost most of the time on anything 100+ years old. I see lots of high end cameos that have the right findings for a bail, but are not accompanied by one.

 

yours must be the same...right /?

 

Think so. It's not marked, but the color is right. I must have a record of the purchase here somewhere. Not going to chase it down just now.

Weirdly, I have 2 other Clytie cameos that are by Rosi. I keep looking at the one above thinking there must be a signature someplace on it; not so much as a scratch.

The Rosi ones, larger & smaller:



The dancing maenad is not Rosi's best work, although I think she'll look better after a bath, and the chipped area is a significant flaw, but oh, I covet that bail!

Having this one is my consolation: it has the detachable bail, but the removable hinge/pin/clasp assembly has been lost:

 

You , get more interesting , by the day !!!....

 

The blanket tariffs, not to mention what seem to be ever rising buyer's premiums, have made British auctions very expensive for potential bidders from the U.S. But if you're in Britain or the E.U. & on the hunt for cameos, you might want to look at this one:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/...0545/lot-5549f6b9-9cd4-4615-835a-b462005ac84e



Surprisingly, the auctioneer has correctly IDed the subject as Achilles, but even more surprisingly, they have not read the incised writing on the back correctly. Not Rosi's best work; still worth having if the price stays down. Late work, I suspect.

 

Hi. I hope this is not to far afield please forgive me if I overstepped. I have my Great Grandmothers Cameo she gave to her daughter and down to me. I would like to find a nice classic display case for it so I can gift it to my daughter when she graduates College in a few years. Any thought or suggestions? Thank you.

 

On the other hand,



a small agate cameo depicting Mercury

They're kidding, right?

 

You are not overstepping in the least. Could you tell us a bit more about what you envision?

 

I thought in a wooden box behind glass to display on a table or shelf as their generation are less inclined to wear them. I thought a nice display box would be a way for her to enjoy it with a pictures of her family previous owners.

 

maybe an old glass top cigar case.... or stand up..

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Another way cameos are sometimes displayed is in a shadowbox, to hang on the wall.

 

if it has a bale..........? this could be a good look !

 

Thanks for taking the time these are great options!