Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Another gent for your board, @Bronwen, and a signature as well.
Currently for sale on Ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115457945012?hash=item1ae1d46db4:g:adkAAOSwGlFix2ip

 

Nope. I asked the seller- no signature or writing on the back.

 

Unusual piece. You don't see that many true cameos cut in MOP; more often etched.

 

The man's tie seems to be held by a tie tack, although it is quite high up on the tie. I am guessing the cameo is from the 1920s-1930s.

 

I think the mystery man in the BH Kinney cameo is William Almon Wheeler, 19th Vice-President of the United States. In the book I recently bought about Benjamin Kinney, there was a catalogue of his known works, gathered from various sources. In 1857 (the year my cameo was carved), there is a listing for a "medallion portrait of William A Wheeler, material unknown".

In 1857, Wheeler was 38 years old, a lawyer and a past member of the New York State Assembly. He became vice president in 1877, so most of the available photos or portraits are from approximately 20 years later than the cameo. The heavy brow with deep-set eyes and the thin, downturned lips seem to be hallmarks for Wheeler. Here is a pic of the cameo again, along with a picture of Wheeler.

 

Looks like Wheeler, different eras, to me. That kind of fold-down collar as in the photo was from later. Hairstyle, too. And of course he looks older than his 30s in the photo. The brow, ears, nose, and chin are similar in both, imo. Except loose skin hanging down from neck and chin in photo. The angles make it hard to compare some factors.

 

Agree with Fig that angles & aging make comparison tricky, but I have no difficulty at all in seeing that as the same nose in both pix. As, always, great sleuthing, PA!

 

Curious - what is the name of this clasp type and when was it popular? Looks like a weird backwards trombone clasp or something.

 

Are you asking about the large lump near the hinge? I don't remember the real name of it, but it looks like what I'll call a pin guard. Those were used on jewelry, both brooches and stickpins, to keep the pin from slipping out of the clasp end. If that is what you are asking about, you should be able to slide it up and down the pin. It should be able to come off of the pin entirely. The one you have appears to have corrosion on it. And it might be difficult to remove. Those "pin guards" appear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

If you are actually asking about the clasp itself, that is the part that can be opened and closed at the pin end, and has a little lever action. It looks like yours might be marked 10K? Those were popular in the early 20th century. They were recently mentioned in another post, perhaps in this cameo thread or perhaps in another.

 

The actual clasp on the piece is an earlier type of safety device, in my experience at high risk of coming open on its own. Someone has taken the clutch from a stickpin to add security. I have seen this trick many times before, particularly on large cameos with only a simple C clasp. I'd advise wearing as a pendant.

 

That lump is called a clutch and it's used on the end of a stick pin to keep the wearer from bing stuck. someone added it on to the pin stem as a safety, it did not come that way when it was made.

 

Fig and Bronwen, I agree about the angles of the photo versus the cameo. I tried very hard to find a true profile picture but came up with nada. But even so, I think it is a correct ID and thank you for adding your concurrence. It always makes me happy to figure out something new about cameos. I wish I knew who all my "people" were, but I only know 4 of them.

 

My first cameo purchase from an auction! It is testing as 10K but I'm thinking it's likely plated, are you able to tell by looking at it? Any other info re. age and origin would be wonderful. No markings. 2"L x 1.2"W. Thanks

 

Thanks for posting! Congrats on your first cameo. The frame with a C clasp and a T bar hinge indicates 19th century or early 20th century. But the cameo itself is more like late 1930s or 1940s to me, because of all the pin curls in her hair. Perhaps your cameo was set into an older frame. But Bronwen is the resident cameo expert here. Let's hear her opinion.

 

Cubist version of the 3 Graces....

 

Another carver who doesn't know how to carve birds. A peacock/parrot hybrid. And Humpty Dumpty is peeking over the wing.

 

Thank you bronwyn, Marie and figtree. The piece itself isn't mine, I was potentially looking to snipe it on ebay. the front looks like gold to me. you can see deepish scratches in it and no underlayer. but the seller caught on and raised the price. It's at $25 if you're interested . seems ugly to me though.

I just havent seen one of those things on the back clasp before - good to know what it is!

 

I was thinking the same thing. It looks like the frame was opened by someone who didn't know what they were doing or didn't have the right tools.

 

Pepper is every bit as knowledgeable as I am & I agree with her on this one: cameo definitely much newer than the mount. My opinion only differs in that I think the cameo is even somewhat newer, 40s/50s. You can see on the front how the bezel had to be crimped to hold the cameo. I'm afraid those stress lines may have been caused be wedging the shell into a frame that is just a tad too small.

Think the setting is probably Italian, as is the cameo, although the marriage like as not was made elsewhere.

 

To me, the question is not Book's as to why anyone makes such things so much as why does anyone set them?

I have long said that cameo ornithology has a lot of room for improvement.