Antique Gold Brooch with Three Shell Cameos, c. 1910

In ancient mythology, many of the divine figures do not appear alone, but in small groups. There were nine Muses, three Graces, three Moires, the goddesses of fate, 12 Olympian gods and two Dioscuri. Other mythological figures and themes, however, vary in number according to tradition. The liberal arts, for example, were sometimes defined as three, then as four, then again as seven. Their number still fluctuates today, depending on the interests at hand. This brooch is also dedicated to the arts. We see three cameos, cut into shells and set in gold. Sculpture and painting are depicted below. Two ladies in long dresses, more typical of the first years of the 20th century than of antiquity, are busy carving a bust out of hard stone and painting a picture on an easel. Above, a lady sits, or rather lies, on an armchair and rests her head on her hand. We assume that poetry is meant here, because it would elegantly complete the trio of arts. The framing of warmly gleaming gold leaves combines the three round depictions into a trefoil. We date the work to around 1910. We discovered the brooch in London and, judging by its gold stamp, it was probably made in the USA.

Estimate:£1,002.03

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