Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

She's a healthy lass. Weighing in at 18.3 grams

 

There's lots of very badly cut cameos out there.

 

Lots & lots & lots...

 

Much better than the hatchet face (I call them that because they look like they're cut with a hatchet) but, which way is she facing?

 

I would say facing away to the right? Hatchet face! haha! and I thought the Dick Tracey reference was unflattering!

 

OK, I can go with that.

 

Interesting reading the commensts about cameos being pulled out so the gold can be sold. I recently bought this one at auction for $70aud. Looks a pretty modern carving but has a c clasp. Total weight is 12g so I would think gold weight is around half, maybe a bit more. I put it on ebay for a auction from $199 with no bids. Gold value is probably around $300aud or more. I have seen the floral gold design on a few cameos. This one is stamped 9ct

 

She's mid-50s - mid-60s, very standard type. The C clasp just means less costly construction.

Pretty, delicate frame. I think you would be surprised at how little gold it took to make it. Also think it's more likely you are overestimating the gold weight/shell weight and that gold is at most 1/3 of the weight. Putting my numbers into an online gold price calculator, 4 grams of 9kt gold:



So 199 AUD was just about right for melt value, if my guess at weight is correct. The fact that it was not bought soon after listing suggests I am still overshooting it & that experienced gold buyers see something less.

 

Agree about the start price. There was only one bid. And the 18K frame was damaged enough that it was unwearable. I would not be surprised if we saw this come back as an unmounted cameo for $300....

 

I chanced upon this book on engraved gems today and thought that others might want to read it. It is free to download. It looks like an interesting read.

https://www.sidestone.com/books/engraved-gems

 

Thank you for sharing! There are lots of beautiful pieces in this.

 

I wanted to get a full shell with a cameo or cameo scene carved in to add to my display and demonstrate where they come from. I definitely cannot afford the really beautiful full-scene antique pieces, and many others are not carved so well... So when this one popped up for a low BIN I pounced.



I've also wanted a well carved Medusa but she is always soooo expensive so this was a two-for-one. The shell is a huge 7" x 6.5" (17.75 x 16.5 cm) and the cameo is an equally large 2" x 2.75" (5 x 7 cm). The carver made use of the thicker shell and really popped her off the surface.



I'm really not sure when she might have been carved, but I think vintage is out since those seem to be very flat. I can't find a perfect match for the style in similar whole-shell carvings, but there are antique Medusa cameos with a variety of styles. Even if she were completely modern I would still enjoy the carving.



I also haven't yet found another whole-shell conch carving, though I assume they must be out there!

 

Couldn't respond right away. Had to pick up my chin & mop up the drool. I too have wanted a good quality, large Medusa. I used to see beautiful Rondanini-type Medusas on eBay, identified as being by one contemporary cutter, whose name I cannot remember.

You have a whole-shell conch shell cameo. Think you meant helmet shell? Medusa put a spell on you. I'd be distracted looking at her.

 

Yayyy I'm so pleased you like her!! If those you saw look similar to this and you recall the name or source, let me know. I will keep my eyes peeled for similar in my internet travels and see if I can narrow a date at some point.

We could probably fill a decent sized lake with the drool i keep producing over your pieces!

I meant I can find lots of whole helmet shell carvings with their lovely brown background, but can't find any other examples of a pinky conch being used in a whole shell carving. I really scoured for a minute, even trying some contemporary shops to see if I could glimpse one and maybe figure out how old or not Medusa might be. I feel crazy because certainly there would be no reason for there not to be a bunch of these out there. I guess a brown contrast is preferable.

She definitely put a spell on me. There are certain pieces I have gotten that I just make time to stare at for a long time and this is one of them! My husband was equally entranced. He's interested in the cameos, but I can really tell when one appeals to him. He liked this one right away just from seller's pictures and I caught him having some of his own staring time once she arrived. The other night just before bed he left the light on above my collection and said "I left it on because I know how you like to look at them for a while." So embarrassing but hey at least they're doing their job giving me ongoing enjoyment!

 

Think they were all forward facing, the way the Rondanini is usually shown. They were not cheap. They were more gorgoneion, like this one:

https://www.butterlaneantiques.com/cdn/shop/products/230222-2416_2000x.jpg?v=1645716066

Now you bring it up, I don't think I have ever seen a conch shell used for a whole scene the way you see Diana chasing Actaeon on helmet shells.

Conch shell is such a splendid carving material that I'm surprised we don't see more of it in general. What there are a bunch of is bacchantes (not mine):



Maybe conch was being offered for sale as 'coral shell' too late to have been available during the height of shell cameo cutting. Just guessing.

Uh huh. Who likes to look at them for a little while?

 

I pulled some info for the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore and thought the group might be interested. It pertains to the Neri family. It all started when I realized that I owned a cameo virtually identical to one in the Walters. The sitter in the Walters cameo was incorrectly identified and the museum had not realized that the cameo was signed Neri. Those oversights have been corrected with the new installation of the cameo exhibit in another section of the museum. I have it in a Word doc, but couldn't figure out how to upload it. So I have screenshots of the pages.





I am sure others can provide additional info about the Neri family, so this is just a starting point.

 

I won this a while ago, and I have no idea what my wife did with it. It certainly isn't on display anywhere. It's well done.

 

Could it be Wellington? Or are you asking where your wife put it? Latter costs extra.

 

It's a helmet shell, not a conch sell, but otherwise:
https://bassetlawsilverandantiques....n-conch-shell-cameo-of-the-duke-of-wellington

 

Thank you. I put it up just to show it. Now I know who it is. Thanks again.

IMO my carving is nicer than the one in this antique store. I paid a fraction's fraction of the price. I could be wrong (my memory beyond sucks). When I won this piece, there were two up for auction, and I bid on the nicer of the two.

I'm going to tell my wife that it's the Duke of Wellington, and she'll say "Uh huh." and I'll say "Where is it?" She might remember.