Antique Agate Cameo as Brooch in Gold, Germany Around 1900

Ideals of beauty change over the course of time. What was desirable a few centuries ago sometimes no longer seems relevant today. In classicism, for example, a healthy complexion was a sign of poverty; a pale complexion alone was considered beautiful. In the Baroque era, Peter Paul Rubens set the framework for the ideal of beauty of his era with his portraits of plump ladies seeking to convince with rich body fat, where today the Western world hungers for slimness. But as ideals change, so do compliments. Today, calling a lady a "cow" is considered unflattering. In classical antiquity, the valuation of the dairy animal in relation to the fair sex was entirely different. Thus, one of the epithets of Hera, one of the most important goddesses of the Olympian heaven of gods, is "the cow-eyed one" and this was definitely meant as a compliment. Because cows sometimes have really beautiful eyes! Our cameo, cut from two-coloured layered stone, shows Hera (Juno in Greek), who in ancient times had the task of watching over marriage and childbirth. It is recognizable by her typical hair ornament, a kind of diadem, which is stuck in her rich hair and which distinguishes her as a married woman. The conception of the head of the goddess radiates the elegant neo-classicism of those years. The finely crafted openwork framing of gold provides a setting for this that is both elegant and fitting, making it wearable as a brooch. An interesting piece of jewellery from the mythical world of Greek antiquity in grandiose implementation of the penultimate turn of the century. Do you also know a lady with eyes as beautiful as those of a cow? Then you have found a suitable gift here!

Estimation:€1,690

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