Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

You can see my 2 Carnesecchis here:

Cameo Signature Help Needed

 

To borrow from the Cheshire Cat: You must be mad or you wouldn't be here.

 

I absolutely love that exchange ... "We're all mad here..."

 

@Bronwen, HE is absolutely Drop Dead GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thank you, Aqui. I'm always surprised when work this good is unsigned, but there it is. The original was a cameo by Giovanni Dies, active first half of 19th century, probably known to the carver of the shell through one of the plaster casts that were so popular.

 

Came across this one with the extra-long pin and unusual pin hinge. The chain link surround is unusual, too. Any guesses as to age?

 

And look who I found! He's actually on an inkwell... and signed!
Wish he was mine!
Seller's info:
"Bonfiglio Zaccagnini was born in Chieti- Italy in 1793 and died in Rome in 1867 and was best known for engraving Papal medals commemorating numerous events, as well as engraving Italian medals and coinage. Zaccagnini Prior to becoming an engraver for the papacy, and as others contemporary artist; he produced and sold cameos in Rome. However, based on my research, I haven't been able to identify any other cameos that are directly attributable to Bonfiglio Zaccagnini, making this piece an immensely rare piece."
"Biographical resources suggest that Zaccagnini collaborated with the Cerbara brothers, Pietro Girometti, and Guiseppe Bianchi on engraving Italian medals. Zaccagnini was also an engraver of the Mint during the Papacy of Pius IX (1846 – 1878) during which time Giorgio Antonio Girardet worked under his tutelage. It is suggested that Zaccagnini was by nature prone to conflict with his superiors and he did not adhere to the morals of the time. This apparently precluded him from a brilliant government career and more official positions that would have been worthy of his wonderful engraving skills. Regardless, he managed to produce a significant amount of mainly Papal medals, but also Italian medals and coins during his lifetime. His work is presented in the British Museum and the Harvard Museum."
It had an eboo listing BIN/BO price of $4700 and did sell but I don't know the accepted offer amount (flippertools not working!)

 

ANOTHER STUNNER!!!!!

 

Wow! That is amazing. Great research!

 

Wow, I love him (again)! A bit out of my price range, but love to look at it.

 

I know this one well. It led to becoming correspondents with the seller. His eBay write up extolled it as something like the most beautiful Zeus you will see & I felt compelled to send him photos of mine & a couple of others I already had in my files. I no longer remember the accepted offer but think it was no more than half what he had been asking. Do recall telling him that if I'd known he would sell it for that I would have bought it myself.

 

I would bet the pin stem is a replacement, is is overly long to my eye.

And it has the dreaded home-fix straight pin bent to hold in the pin stem. I run across this all the time. The last one I got was on a silver Art Nouveau pin, I sprung to have it repaired at my local jewelers. I brought them an old pin to show them how it was originally done and they did a great job

 

I've seen this a number of times too. Age. Really difficult to narrow down. 1870s - 1890s. Definitely antique. The strap across the torso & the one bare breast suggest an Amazon or a follower of Diana. I'm inclined to the latter; clear attributes of an Amazon not present.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

While browsing through eBay spotted a nice but plastic cameo which was listed as carved shell. So after messaging the seller got this answer back:

“Hello I have dealt in antique jewellery for over 40years, I was brought up in a family of antique jewellery dealers I can assure you that this is a carved shell cameo.“

 

Yeah, I know the type. The worst are ones with GIA after their name. If you can still find the cameo in question, would love to have a look.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gold-Pla...71f-4937-afe1-4430804101d6#vi__app-cvip-panel

 

Definitely resin. You must have gotten through to her because it has been yanked as 'no longer available'.

 

I would have been surprised if I hadn’t.

Me:

“That cameo carver must have had a great sense of humour to carve all those boils in her ear and quite a few in her hair... unless she has come out of a mould...

Take your jewellers loupe out and check your merchandise!

If, for some peculiar reasons, you don’t have one, just turn the cameo over and have a look at the back. That swirling pattern gives the game away...”

 

Oof! No kid gloves there. It always surprises me when someone who has the piece in hand can't tell shell from plastic. Glass from stone can be very hard, but not shell/resin. Another feature of most resin cameos is a flat back instead of a concave one.

 

I guess I wasn’t very polite but she really got me going...