Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Hi @HollyDay! Welcome to this forum and thank you for sharing pictures of your cameo. I think your cameo was carved in the early part of the 20th century (1920-40s), based on the acid etched signature and the short hair. It is not of any subject in particular, but a pretty lady nonetheless.

The resident expert in this forum is Bronwen. She may have additional insights for you.

I hope you enjoy the world of cameos. It is easy to get hooked! I have been happily collecting these little works of art for many years.

 

Hello @PepperAnna and thank you for the warm welcome and your reply!

It is good to know that the lone cameo I have at the moment is anywhere from give or take 80 to 100 years old.

I am at the early discovery stage in this very niche market, and from what very little I know & see so far, I can see what you mean by getting hooked easily on these beauties.

 

Hi ,
Would anyone be able to give me any information about this cameo brooch please?
I was recently given a box of old jewellery and other bits and bobs and this brooch was one of the items. It is quite large - just under two & a half inches high and two inches across, it is also quite deep - up to half an inch at each end. The pin is very sharp (as I found out the hard way!) and sticks out over the edge of the brooch. There are no marks on the metal so I don't know if it could be silver, it was quite tarnished and I have just given it a quick polish with a silver cloth. I think the subject must be the Three Graces? I have absolutely no idea of its age so would be grateful for any help in that direction.

 

It's definitely the Three Graces, and a carved shell cameo. The pin, hinge, and hook clasp on the back all look to me like they are from the late 19th century. Appears to be quite a sturdy frame for the cameo. Whoever put it in there did not want it to fall out.

 

Seconded. The three Graces were a common design. My great-grandmother had a similar one.

 

JMHO... I also agree, Three Graces and late 19th century. That hinge, the clasp and the fact that the pin stem sticks out all say late 19th to me.

You can give the cameo a gentle bath in slightly warm water, use a very soft tooth brush to try to get those dark areas cleaned out. Make sure it is completely dry before you store it away. Also make sure where you store it will have some access to air, don't seal it in plastic and don't put it in an oak box.

 

Thank you all for your replies.

 

Hi @bluumz!

I came across the subject of this cameo while looking for something else and thought you might be interested since you posted this cameo almost a year ago.



This painting, Leonidas at Thermopylae, was completed by Jacques Louis David in 1814 and currently hangs at the Louvre. It is huge - 13 x 17.5 feet! It is considered one of his masterpieces. Leonidas, King of the Spartan troops, is shown calmly seated in the midst of his men who are preparing to battle the Persians at the pass of Thermopylae. He and his 300 men fought the Persians at the Thermopylae pass, knowing that they would lose the battle and be slaughtered, but hoping that their sacrifice would delay the Persian invasion long enough to give the Greeks a chance at ultimate victory.

It is a visually complex painting. If you want to find know what the different aspects of the painting mean (the ewer, the blocks, the climbing soldier, etc.), there is an excellent article in Daily Art Magazine (link below) that explains it beautifully.

https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/leonidas-at-thermopylae-jacques-louis-david/

 

Wow, thanks for filling in that knowledge gap!

 

Sharing pics of these two that just came in, bought before I got to know of this forum. The one with the country scene is about 2”; the cameo itself on the brooch/pin is about 1.5”. I like the design of the gold filled setting. Said metal feels quite substantial. They seem signed. Thanks for looking at the photos.

 

Thanks for sharing! I also like the setting on the second one. The bail (the round hook at the top back) appears to have been heavily soldered in place. Not sure whether it was originally like that, or repaired. More likely the latter.

 

Hi @Figtree3, yes it does appear that the bail was repaired, or even possibly, replaced. The color of its base IRL differs from the rest of the frame, and the bail itself is off-centered.

Being new to the world of cameos, I am not exactly sure what type of shell these two are, as well as their age. Any thoughts pls? Many thanks in advance.

 

They both appear to be carved of helmet shell and my guess for age of the brooch is early 20th century. Your unmounted cameo is signed by Silz (aka Schmoll) who has been discussed in this forum, try our search feature. I can't make out the signature on the mounted cameo.

 

Yes, helmet shell as @bluumz said. I'm also not sure of the signature on the second one.

 

Thanks a lot @bluumz and @Figtree3 for your replies!

 

Hi. I am curious about this and would love to hear your thoughts: I noticed some cameos are cut thick, some quite thin, even if they are the same material, such as carnelian shell for example. Does this mean that one is better than the other? Or is this merely a matter of personal preference?

 

I don't worry too much about how thick or thin the cameos are. I am more interested in the subject matter, and the quality of the carving, and if it is signed or not.

 

Technically, two very different things.
The majority of "everyday" cameos of the middle classes were/are carved from helmet shell. Usually, the "better" cameos were carved from stone, such as carnelian.
That said, "carnelian" and "sardonyx" (stone examples) are sometimes confusingly used as descriptors for the colors of helmet shell... which can be lighter/orange-ish and referred to as carnelian shell, or darker/brown-ish and referred to as sardonyx shell.
Just to clarify.

 

Then you get into the lavas, corals, and other crazy-making areas. (LOL)

This is one I found a long time ago. It's hard stone cameo, and mourning to boot. Either late Georgian or early Victorian complete with hair in the hair compartment. It came with a paper with a transcription of the writing. Cost me a lot less than it was worth.

 

That is good to know, thanks!

Thank you for this clarification! That makes a lot of sense now that I think about it, seeing all those descriptions online for cameos on various selling platforms.

I am truly learning a lot here