Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

I've posted nonBay things too, but thought I'd share here, where people would more readily see why it is laughable. Will save permission for heterodoxy for the future.

 

Haven't posted in a while, but wanted to show you a new cameo in my collection. It has lots of detail, I especially like that the little girl lost her shoe when she fell. At first I thought it was a family in the fields, but now I am having second thoughts. Could it be more of a war scene? The man in the background carries a gun and may be in uniform. Also the cross by the tree seems out of place for a bucolic peasant family portrait. What do you think?

 

Beautiful!
I, too, see a family out in the fields, after a day of harvesting.
What you see as a cross by the tree, I see as part of a picket fence.

 

Very unusual. I see it as a scene of country life: mother out with the younger children using a sickle to cut what the scythe didn't get; little girl stumbling on uneven ground; father in peasant dress, returned from hunting, long gun over his shoulder, game bag slung over with it. Bluumz's idea of a fence. or other wooden structure, is a good one. Carver too accomplished to have got the perspective so wrong if it's meant to be a cross.

 

Haven't had anything new to show in a while, I've curbed my acquisitions sharply these last few years. But now & then something does get my attention.

Although I am not a fan of them, there is a definite market for so-called "blackamoor" cameos, so when this tiny hardstone one, glued into a chimaera of a setting, came along for a good price, I took it.




While the cameo is not much larger than the nail of my pinkie finger, he is quite well carved: there is contouring of the cheeks & care has been taken with the hair so that it is not just crosshatching.

Difficult to say just when this cameo was made. You can find ones similar to this identified as dating to the 16th century; this one is highly unlikely to be that old. They do not seem to have been popular consistently over time, going in and out of fashion. I think it is safe to say that this cameo is now a genuine antique. The stamped brass bits it has been affixed to are another matter.

 

It looks like this pin was three different ones originally, or two if he's in his original frame (doubt that ) and someone played mix/match to make a usable pin. I have one made that way, also a cameo. Someone soldered a who-cares flat brooch onto the back of a cameo whose pin had broken off. I bought it because someone really wanted to save it. I bet this one had a story behind it too, or more than one.

 

It has been cobbled together from 2 stamped metal parts, the cameo & a pin assembly, all glued, as far as I can tell. Pretty sure the seller buys preowned costume jewellery, resells it intact if the condition is acceptable or cannibalizes for parts when not.

Right after winning I wrote to ask if the cameo could be detached & sent by itself. Doubt it made a difference, but she did not see my message before readying it for the mail, so item came as was.

The piece does not photograph well. Seller's pix made it look corroded. The finish on the main backing piece is a deep copper color. The little 'doily' immediately behind the cameo has had a new coat of gold paint.

Have decided that it is less likely to get lost if it stays attached. The stone would probably be impervious to any solvent I could try on the slab of glue underneath it, but will leave it alone. Not a piece I would wear anyway. It just feels so incongruous to have this particular cameo keeping company with the boho elements.

 

I've seen worse. Some village idiot got hold of a pile of nice clip earrings, and BROKE off all the backs and hot-glued posts onto them. Totally ruined the earrings. An old cameo in a no-hope boho setting is at least wearable.

 

Very nice, Bronwen. I saw that one, too. Glad you got it!

 

Thanks Bluumz and Bronwen for your astute review of my pastoral cameo. I really was drawn to it because it was a family. The picture was a bit fuzzy, so I couldn't see all the details until it was in my hands. I am so happy with it.

 

I couldn't resist this cameo! The tulip at the base of her neck hooked me. The carving was so lovely. It was quite dirty and had some black gunk on the back.



It cleaned up wonderfully. I was hoping a signature would be hiding underneath the black stuff, but no such luck. The carving is superb! The carving is very dimensional. I may get it set so that I can wear it. I have to find a good jeweler who knows how to work with cameos.

 

That is stunning! I hope you can find a way to wear it.

 

Just exquisite. A whole different take on an otherwise common theme. Congratulations on your new baby!

 

that's one of the nicest faces I've ever seen on a cameo.....

 

Thank you! I thought it was wonderful, too.

 

Thank you! She is quite special.

 

Thanks! If/when I get it set, I will repost. The shell is quite thin, so the jeweler will need to have some experience with cameos.

 

This cameo sold today on eBay. Signed Neri. Item # 185924371774. I like her hair.

 

I missed this cameo but thought you might enjoy seeing it. It is very unusual. The falcon is awesome.

 

This one is quite brutal. Beheading of St. John?