Featured Wax Portrait on Amber (???) Cameo Pendant?

I need some amber experts on this one!

I can't find another like this guy, other than the portrait is in the style of wax portraits from late 18th through 19th c. I put a slightly moist cotton tip on him to clear up a little debris and the surface does soften, so I'm relatively confident he's a (molded?) wax. I'm open to other suggestions though!

The base has tool and drill marks, is extremely light (15g/.5oz), and semi-transparent. It's soft enough that I could use a dental pick to lightly scratch the interior of the break on the right side (one scratch...the others were already there). It's 2" (5.08 cm) high.



The surface is a matte with pitting on the portrait side. When lit, there's an interior crackle structure layer.



I can't do tests that are wet, but it does fluoresce.



Soooo amber? Some early plastic? Some other theory? Please help!

IF it's amber...just for speculation that I will probably never confirm...is it possible it's Simetite (Sicilian amber)? The specimens are giving me pause, but I'm not an amber collector so I don't know what they all look like.





IGR also says: "The working of amber in Sicily dates back to the early XIXth century. The pieces were worked with a lathe or cut to create such items as necklaces, pendants, rings, trinkets or boxes, even 4-5 cm cameos (Ferrara, 1805)."

For gent's identity, I casually assumed he was Socrates but I haven't found the exact same depiction and a lot of him have less hair, while this one has a more generous amount of locks, a la the statue at the Academy of Athens (1850). So suggestions on him are helpful too if you've got any.

Thanks everyone!

 

My first thought is tortoiseshell.

 

Socrates was my first impression.

 

That's a good thought, and I had it but then... Have you seen it with this weird crackle texture? I also thought the pattern was a bit too swirly, but maybe you've seen that in tort?

I just investigated again with some magnification and I can see extremely tiny bubbles I think? It has a bit of a glitter reflecting look on back when lit. I put it next to the other tort I have and florescence isn't quite the same...the tort has more contrast with dark areas looking a deeper purple.

 

He puts me in mind of this guy:



John Matthews, 'the Soda Fountain King', a Brit who introduced a technique for carbonation to the US. I have an intaglio ring seller claimed was sold to him by a descendant of this guy. The ring is no doubt Socrates, but suspect the family had it because of the resemblance.

A modeling in wax was the first step in producing a cameo in the durable material James Tassie called 'enamel' Have to think sometimes people felt satisfied with the wax & saved themselves the cost of the fully realized thing. I think this is a private portrait & that the background is sort of reconstituted amber. The gent looks right for the period:

https://www.pinterest.com/cameotimescom/cameo-portraits-of-victorian-gentlemen/

 

Check on the underside of the curiased shoulder for a signature on the wax cameo

 

... from Socrates to soda jerk ... that could get you a brain freeze ...

 

Here are some close-ups with it lit up and a x25 lens over my camera. You can see those tiny bubbles now, and better look at the texture. (front/back)


That crackle texture is not on the surface...this is what it looks like closer on that, not backlit.



I tried the acetone drop test and it evaporated with no change. I'm still a bit shy to do salt water in case wax-buddy gets dunked, even if he is rather cured lol.

 

Okay 2 votes for the smelly founder of Western Philosophy.

Hahaha definitely wearing this pendant and telling the kids that's who this is. It's fitting now that I've found all the bubbles. I have to admit I have more allegiance to Soda (my one vice) than Philosophy.

I've had a look at the ones in the British collections and the ones on a base look like more wax, or they're left on the sculpting base....which look like slate, maybe? I agree they're beautiful on their own.

I want mine to be hand carved, but with the extra wax left around the neck and lack of definition in some areas, where they're starker on carved pieces, make me think molded. Or molded with finishing touches. It's possible loss of definition is from wear though?

So molded plus the fact that he's a biggun at 2" made me think it's gotta be someone with wider appeal/recognition. I've also been assuming it's a pendant from the holes but.....may be something else?? So many guys with beards though so definitely the door is open until a source can be found, I think.

Good suggestion! Some definitely have that. The first thing I do when I get a cameo in my hot lil hands is throw on the watch magnification glasses and practically stick it up my nose while interrogating every scratch and crevice. Unfortunately, no signature or other writing.

 

So interesting! And a true mystery for the material

 

You've probably seen everything at this point so oh no I'm in trouble if you find it mysterious too!

I looked up @Bronwen's mention of reconstituted amber and the "cells" created by melting bits together do look like the front, I think?? Another source said reconstituted gets pressed and that makes the bubbles elongated instead of round. The ones in this piece are all round... So idk I guess my current thought is to be "safe" with reconstituted amber. It's got shaping and file marks all over the sides and back, so maybe not mold pressed? Idk! I'm not selling it anyway so it's just a little mystery to solve for fun.

 

Reconstituted/reconstructed/bonded amber looks different, it is made of amber chips that are bonded together using another material. The individual chips are recognizable and often of different colours. Your Socrates is older than most bonding techniques.

Socrates' backside looks like pressed amber to me. Pressed amber can have round bubbles and occasionally swirls. Although swirls are usually a sign of a man made material.
Amber can change texture over time, and if it isn't cared for and kept in good conditions it can develop that tiny crackling. You often see that on pre-historic amber, but of course your Socrates isn't that old, he just hasn't been cared for. Probably sat in a drawer for a century or more.

 

Early reconstituted/reconstructed/bonded amber:


https://gem-a.com/amber-how-to-identify-early-and-current-reconstructed-pieces/

 

Doesn't amber have a more yellow/green veil when under UV?

 

Amber can fluoresce white, (orangey-)yellow, green or blue, depending on the daylight colour of the amber.

 

Okay thanks for the info.

 

Aaaah okay. The page you linked is the one I saw the reconstituted amber "cells" example on and that's where I got confused. This looked sorta like the close-up of the crackle I posted above and I wasn't sure if what was on mine was this "cell" thing, or actual (age?) cracks, which I've seen on some of the simetite amber examples.



The swirls I know can show up in other resins/plastics so I didn't even think it was amber when I bought it. Then I found a bunch of natural simetite amber examples that have swirl patterns (plus crackle and surface pitting)... It really surprised me!





Thank you for taking a look and helping me out further. I try to do a bunch of research before I bother y'all but there's no replacement for experience at a certain point!

See photo above on the right for simetite amber fluorescence colors. I thought they were pretty close to the cameo. I had no idea there was such variety before this!

 

The example in the corner doesn't look like any amber I know, but then I have only seen a few pieces of simetite in my life (that I know of). The pieces I've seen were reddish brown.