Large Shell Cameo Depicting Hebe in Gold, England & Italy c. 1850

This large brooch shows a finely cut cameo from the two-colored shell of a large sea snail. Alongside other shells and snails, the queen sea snail was used in the 19th century to cut cameos from its shell, as the color of the limestone shell is reminiscent of carnelian or orange agate. A scene from classical mythology is depicted. We see the youthful Hebe calmly interacting with Zeus, the father of the gods, in the form of an eagle. The cameo cutter has captured Hebe performing her most important task in the heaven of the gods in an artful cut: She is the cupbearer of the Olympian gods and responsible for preparing the food. Here she serves her father Zeus a bowl of ambrosia, the food of the gods, and a carafe of nectar. Hebe stands in front of a pedestal and is dressed in an ancient peblos, while Zeus approaches as a mighty eagle in flight and feeds on the ambrosia. Homer regularly uses nectar and ambrosia in the Iliad and the Odyssey as the immortalizing food of the gods. In the graduated mythological tradition, Hebe is said to have been replaced in this task by the Trojan prince Ganymede after her marriage to Heracles, who then became cupbearer to the gods. An elaborate setting made of high-carat gold keeps the cameo in the style of the 1850s. We see sculpted curves made from chased sheet gold, reminiscent of acanthus leaves. We discovered the brooch in the south of England, where the Italian cameo was probably set in the middle of the 19th century.

Estimate:£2,012.48

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