Antique Pendant with a Shell Cameo and Turquoises in Gold, Vienna, c. 1870

Cameos, gemstones, and intaglios enjoyed great popularity in the 19th century and were worn as jewellery in countless variations. Depictions of mythological figures from antiquity were particularly popular. The enthusiasm for classical antiquity, archaeological discoveries, and the trips to Italy taken by the wealthy middle class contributed significantly to this trend. Shell cameos, in particular, were carved in large numbers in Italy and subsequently crafted into jewellery throughout Europe. This pendant was created in Vienna around 1870, right in the midst of the great Ringstrasse era. Since the 1860s, the Austrian capital had undergone fundamental changes. Along the new Ringstrasse, an opera house, palaces, and monumental public buildings in a wide variety of historical styles sprang up. This historicism also shaped the arts and crafts of those years. The capital of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy developed into a major center of goldsmithing. Our pendant features a highly oval shell cameo with an allegorical depiction. It shows a woman dressed in ancient style holding a set of scales, which is often the attribute of Justitia, the personification of justice. It is noteworthy, however, that her second traditional attribute—the sword—is missing. Instead, she is accompanied by a small putto who is handing her a bowl. It is possible, therefore, that the cameo does not depict the stern Justitia, but rather justice tempered by mildness—Clementia. The cameo is framed by an openwork gold setting with curving floral ornaments. Three sky-blue turquoises provide colorful accents, and a movable gold sphere forms the lower border. The design thus fully reflects the historicist taste of the Vienna Ringstrasse era, when motifs and forms from past eras were freely adapted and combined into new designs. The cameo was likely originally worn as a brooch and only later reworked into a pendant. We have complemented the piece of jewellery with a delicate, matching gold chain, allowing this charming scene to be worn beautifully once again today.

Estimation:1.190€

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