Elegant Antique Shell Cameo Brooch in Gold, England & Italy circa 1890

Ideals of beauty change over time. What was still desirable a few centuries ago sometimes no longer seems relevant today. In classicism, for example, a healthy complexion was a sign of poverty; only a pale complexion was considered beautiful. In the Baroque period, Peter Paul Rubens set the framework for the ideal of beauty of his era with his full-bodied portraits of ladies who knew how to impress with their ample body fat, while today the Western world strives for thinness. But as ideals change, so do the compliments. Today, the term "cow" is considered unflattering for a lady. In classical antiquity, the value of the dairy animal in relation to the fairer sex was completely different. One of the epithets of Hera, one of the most important goddesses in the Olympian heaven of gods, is "βοῶπις" (boopis), "the cow-eyed one". And that was meant as a compliment, because cows sometimes have really beautiful and, above all, big eyes! The beautiful brooch from around 1890 shows a finely cut cameo from the shell of a sea snail. The "cow-eyed" is depicted with finely graduated heights. Hera can be recognized by her diadem, the so-called stepháne (Greek στεφάνη), which distinguishes her as a married woman. On our shell cameo, we see Hera in profile facing right. She is wearing an antique garment, the pepblos, which shows us the fashion of antiquity. The beautiful setting made of finely crafted gold features a fine beaded edge and is otherwise simple in design. A brooch on the back makes the cameo wearable as a brooch. The setting, workmanship and design allow us to date the piece to around 1890; we discovered the beautiful Hera in the south of England.

Estimate:£1,350.59

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