Featured Hermes Tortoise shell and ivory Cameo

Hi again,
Now the children are off for holidays, I don’t have to worry about the school runs, and have a little time to share the latest delights I’ve purchased.
Moving on to the next saucy cameo of Hermes.
I have been told that it’s tortoise shell and ivory on 925 Sterling silver frame not hallmarked.
I wonder what are your thought, as I did not stick a hot pin in this one @Any Jewelry
It looks to me as tortoise shell, has few scratches on the back and I think it has a stress line. The carving is fixed into place with two screws, so it looks like.
In UV light the tortoise shell shines patchy green on the back, please see photos. The ivory shines white yellowish .
What do you think about the age, material and we will wait for @Bronwen to delight us with the depiction of the character.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Simona
Please tag anyone Intrested, keep forgetting the IDs
@KSW
@Ownedbybear
@moreotherstuff

 

Very nice Simona, unusual too. I love the combination of materials. The strong linear shapes of the carving remind me of Art Deco, but I will leave dating to Bronwen.

My heart thanks you for saving it from an attack.

 

Hi Simona, where did you find this cameo please?

The carving shape reminds me of Art Deco too, AJ.

 

I have purchased it from a private seller. I tell him what I am looking for and he finds things for me. He had a shop in Portobello road, London, he told me.

 

Me three! I love this one

 

Does appear to be ivory on tortoiseshell. I would date to late 19th - early 20th. The figure is actually Perseus, after the sculpture by Canova, a fairly popular subject.




See: CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

An unusual piece. Suspect many cameos using tortoiseshell have not survived due to fragile nature of material.

 

nice!

 

Pretty sweet!

 

Found this literature to read, not for weeak hearted, embrace yourselves before you open the link.
There is much more to come, will post one Cameo each day to make it fun.

https://joyofmuseums.com/museums/un...us-with-the-head-of-medusa-by-antonio-canova/

 

That back looks right for late 19th into early 20th.

 

They must only have had those cases available. That seriously deco image in the frilly, prissy case looks a little odd but oh well. It kept the tortoiseshell intact.

 

The synopsis does not mention that the winged horse Pegasus, plus another beast called Chrysaor, sprang from the neck of the decapitated Gorgon. Athena not only gets the head, she is also the first to tame Pegasus, so you often see him on her helmet.

I was told by one of the Met's staff that they have a spare head of Medusa just in case the one there now falls down.

 

A Deco sensibility? Or the lack of the skill/effort to do the more subtle curves?



My dating of the cameo is based on the findings & the materials used, not on anything stylistic, which I considered unreliable.

 

I think the OP's is legitimate 1920s Deco.

 

Could be, no way to know for certain. Carver may also have been influenced in his strokes by the natural grain of the material.

Think we can agree this one is Deco:



It has an interesting back. Elizabeth did not ascend the throne until 1952, so doubt ER is for Elizabeth Regina.

 

Probably the original owner's initials. It might even be her face.

 

She's not wearing a necklace, is she? Those beads are hanging from her ears, looks like.

 

It's supposed to be some sort of headress thingie.

 

@Simona Buhus You have written elsewhere that you have begun buying jewellery as an investment. I would not advise putting too much money in buying similar pieces if you come across them, unless the carving is outstanding. It is increasingly difficult to sell legally both ivory & tortoiseshell, doubt the regulations will be any looser by the time you are thinking of selling. The unlikely possibility I am hoping for is that they will begin to allow age to be recognized without written provenance. Think in the US it is not legal to sell tortoiseshell at all, even if you have provenance going back to Adam.

 

The antique tortoise market has gone back room, cash only.(LOL) Not a good investment vehicle for sure.