Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Yes, I am presuming it's Queen Victoria.
I've always wondered about that little crown!

 

Thanks for that!

 

Queen Victoria's little crown "follows the standard design for British crowns. It is made up with two arches joining at a monde..."

The crown on the cameo would be made up with three arches. Artistic license? Or did any other queens wear little crowns?

 

The description I read (and I think the one that is accurate) is that the crown is made of "four half arches" ... still a bit of a problem... perhaps the cameo artist couldn't resist showing all of them?

 

Bringing her round to this side so we can discuss her properly.

 

You're all doing just fine without me, but of course I'll put in my tuppence.

Really great find, @bluumz Victoria, about as she looked in the portrait used for this 1887 half crown coin:



The cutter got great vitality into the face.

I doubt the setting is much older than the cameo; seems to have undergone some fixes/alterations, muddying the picture. It's quite possible the cameo was made in her memory, rather than during her lifetime.

 

Thanks @Bronwen!

 

Upon reading this article, I thought, "well that explains a lot of cameos on ebay," (though I have no idea if the trend it describes actually happened -- or this was just a means for suppliers to sell "gravers and scoopers").

 

Woah! Great page, Jivvy!
You're right, that may explain some awful "bull's neck" ladies

 

My favorite bit about the article was the fictional conversation upon gifting a friend with a "choice bit" -- "oh, that's nothing, I've done dozens of them."

Yes, and they're all on ebay now, wench.

 

Thanks for sharing, @Jivvy, that's fabulous!

 

I don't know to what extent it was actually taken up, but after J.B. Marsh published 'The Art of Shell Cameo Cutting' (available as a reprint & partially on line) the idea of this being a suitable activity for gentle young ladies who already had some skill at drawing seems to have been widely discussed. E.g.:

https://books.google.com/books?id=p...Q#v=onepage&q=j b marsh cameo cutting&f=false

(Didn't we have something about the Parisian Diamond Company in a recent thread? Scroll down to pg 115 for one of their ads.)

Marsh delivered a paper on the subject to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, where there was concern that the art of gem engraving was being lost in Britain. An academy for teaching it was proposed, & James Ronca was approached about heading it. However, the project seems to have been scuttled when Ronca was asked if he foresaw a future in which graduates could find employment & he told them no.

While 'scoopers' makes more sense, I have also seen it as 'scorpers'.

 

Well, you cannot search old newspapers without tripping over articles about young ladies and their porcelain painting skills, but not so much with the DIY Cameos.

Not that I've looked extensively, but the point is, with porcelain painting, you don't have to look, the articles chase after you.

 

tq for sharing. great article!! @Jivvy

"behold my cameo!" from the modern maid's den in old penang

does anyone have any suggestions as how to attach a pin or loop with general household items and super glue??

 

There's really only one person to ask: @kyratango !!!!

It's amazing how many Roman antiquities I'm seeing from sellers in Thailand.

 

Probably similar to nowadays, we all get dragged along in the hype of a new hobby, then realise that what you actually produce after hours of blood sweat and tears is total tat and bears no resemblance to the amazing picture on the advertisement or box

 

Thankyou, I needed that giggle. Unfortunately my attempt at a cameo would make the one on the right look good.
My daughter at nursery however thought she nailed a portrait of me...... not. She assures me those are buttons on my shirt........
and I have no eyes....

 

OMG, I hope you frame that and keep it forever.

 

To be kept forever!. The nursery carer couldn't keep a straight face when she gave it to me- can't think why!