Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

@kyratango Know if you didn't comment, you didn't see this one.

 

Thanks for the tag, Bronwen
Indeed, I missed your last superb conch shell posting
I'd kill for Ariel and the bat

 

Another engraved gemstone I wouldn't mind having:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/202445983680


It's Psyche, not Nike.

Edit: Dropped a note to seller, who was happy to have the correct ID & plans to revise.

 

This link will probably not be good past late September, 2018, but a whole array of carved moonstones:

https://skinnerlive.auctionserver.n...g/id/427?page=1&key=moonstone&cat=&xclosed=no

My favorite is lot 1435:



Skinner describes it as Naiads, but I think it is Psyche, sent by Venus to collect wool from some rambunctious sheep, receiving advice from a reed on how to do it without being killed.

 

Wow! Thanks Bronwen for the link, it was a pleasure to explore, a pity moonstones are very tricky to photograph...

 

And she did.
It is stunning!

 

I mentioned in the thread still being spun about an Orthodox icon of St. George and the Dragon that I had extra interest because I had acquired a cameo with the same scene.

Sadly, badly damaged and easily comes out of the frame. (Makes me wonder if it got bashed when it fell out the first time.) When cameos of St. George come along regularly, why would I want to have, and pay a hefty price for, this one? Because it is signed by Luigi Michelini, I have eight other cameos by him (I showed a Flora by him a while back), and this is the first conch shell cameo I have ever seen signed by a known cutter. Have only seen a few that were signed at all, none I could identify.



I especially like the way the dragon looks like he has dentures.

The other cameos I have by Michelini are well carved, but not master work. Late in his career, after training under Girometti, he produced some excellent hardstone pieces. Of the seven I have seen, four include horses or a centaur; two include wings; and one has a spear. Unlike helmet shell, conch shell, like hardstone, can offer a very thick section, so subject can be in quite high relief. I like to think George helped prepare him for his best work, or was cut during the same period.

 

Yoohoo! Dragon lovers: @kyratango @Any Jewelry @silverthwait Donder & Blitzen...

 

That George was an evil man.

Gorgeous cameo though. Beautiful detail.

 

Thank you, madam. As I was reading it back to myself, it was taking on the rhythm of the rhyme.

 

That's a NICE one.

 

The straightest teeth ever on a dragon. And no fangs!

 

Great orthodontist?

 

The only reason why George dared to take him on, no fangs

 

Yeah, but he'll nibble you to death.

 

This is animal cruelty Could you tell Georges to stop abusing dragons?
Slaying a baby and now hitting a poor old declawed one wearing dentures isn't fair at all
Dragons are sweet creatures, only bad owners turn them in evil
Nothing better than taking a nap while your pet dragon is purring and smoking on your knees, warming you

 

In the tale, George only pins the dragon down so the maiden can put a leash on it & lead it, alive, into the village. No doubt he there underwent obedience training and became the maiden's pet and village mascot. (I like happy endings.)

In looking at different versions of the scene on engraved gems, there seem to be three types: ones where George has a sword, typically too short to go after the dragon without losing that arm; with a spear, aimed at or about to enter the dragon's mouth, which also seems like a risky move; ones like this, with a spear and some chance of actually pinning the dragon.

Edit: The ones in which he is armed with a spear have these subtypes: ones like this one where one hand holds the spear in the right orientation for a downward thrust; ones in which the spear is held with the tip on the same side of the hand as the thumb, not good for much more than a jab; ones in which George is using both hands and will quite likely fall off his horse.

 

I agree. The only time there is any problem, is when they all want to sit on your lap at the same time. Always have your fire extinguisher ready.

It is time to get some balance in the story:

 

Could you give us the content of the text bubbles? Couldn't get them sharp enough.