Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

What do you think the CD underneath the signature means?

 

So, in the spirit of Bronwen's request, here is one of my new cameos. It is small and unset, with no writing on the back. It depicts an Emperor, but I am not sure which one. I bought it because of the small inscription to the left of the head- two Cs back to back. This was the hallmark of the famous Castellani jewelry family. I had read recently that sometimes they had engraved gems they bought marked in this fashion. I may not be able to afford a piece of Castellani jewelry, but maybe I have a little taste of it with this tiny cameo.

 

She would make a box very pretty, but very heavy. And the convex back would complicate setting in anything rectilinear. Given a base that fit her, she could do for a paperweight. All surfaces are polished, the back is prepared to be seen. If I had a desk where I spent time fidgeting instead of working, I'd love to have a little wooden cradle made for her that would hold her when I was not doing so.

 

Simply do not know. The collective mind of the other site where I had her convinced me that what follows is No 2, so seems like it should be an address. The only Francescangeli address I have seen is for via del Babuino.

 

What a little jewel, so radiant. Reasonable certainty he's an emperor. Augustus a good candidate. I was looking through coins with his image; only one that has him wearing a fillet was described as Augustus deified. Augustus had himself portrayed as a young man right to the end.

The CC, so tantalizing! Suppose we can rule out Coco Chanel. That janate Cs logo has been used a few times.

 

I have found 3 cameos that I think that the group will find interesting. They just arrived this morning.

The first one I found on eBay. It is 3.5 cm x 4 cm. It is signed "Fries 1974". I believe this could be Alfred Fries, one of the founding members of the Vereiningung Selbstandiger Edelsteingraveure e.V. But, I am not sure, as probably other family members carved cameos. I tried searching online, but came up with nothing.



The second and third cameos I purchased through an auction house.. I thought they were very small, based on the auction pictures, so I was surprised to find that they are large. They both are 5 cm × 4 cm. There were identified as coming from Idar-Oberstein by the auction house, which did not provide any provenance. The reclining lady cameo has a partial sticker on the back, but I don't know who Pauline is. I have not come across that name in my research.
The detail on both is quite good.

All three cameos are quite thin, which is often a hallmark of agate cameos originating in Idar-Oberstein (I-O) region. I also found out that the edges of the I-O cameos are usually polished.

 

Pauline is Pauline Bonaparte from the famous Venus Victrix statue by Canova! I've always loved that sculpture. Pauline was quite spicy about it and I loved that for her.

These are lovely! Such interesting subjects in the red ones. I wonder if the other is also a sculpture.

 

Sniped by Mirana on Pauline Bonaparte.

I was watching those 2 but did not compete.

 

Was the Fries piece cut ultrasonically? And where does all the output from I-O go? We never see it in the usual places over here.

 

Aah, now that I have reliable internet (it was down with most of the grid and painfully slow on cell data) I can comment lol.

I love this one of yours. I had seen it before, but idk if it was this thread or "the other place" (I get on a cameo craving and just troll the internet staring at them anywhere...). I adore the multi-level hardstones. They are so special. This one is done so well too. The delicate leaves and grapes... Bacchante just really let a carver do luscious looking things.

The favorite in my collection that I keep coming back to



She's not the best carved, most detailed, or rare in my collection, but there's something I love about her composition.

I hope others will repost some of their favorites!! We can't always buy and revisiting is so satisfying too.

 

This one has such an interesting headpiece. Not a typical laurel wreath crown...

It looks like the Camp Crown? "a military award given to the first man who penetrated into an enemy camp or field during combat. It took the form of a gold crown surmounted with replicas of the stakes of a palisade (a high fence consisting of pointed stakes)."

Or maybe a Mural Crown? "The mural crown became an ancient Roman military decoration. The corona muralis (Latin for "walled crown") was a golden crown, or a circle of gold intended to resemble a battlement, bestowed upon the soldier who first climbed the wall of a besieged city or fortress to successfully place the standard (flag) of the attacking army upon it. The Roman mural crown was made of gold, and decorated with turrets"

Ptolemy III had a sunray crown, but yours looks like it has horizontal structures between the points?

If it was one of the above, then I wonder if it was made as a military honor gift from the time of it's making. It seems very tiny so I wonder what it was mounted as? What a cool object!

 

I'd love to hear more about Vereiningung Selbstandiger Edelsteingraveure e.V. I tried looking it up but everything is German.

That putti source image is gonna bug me. The little detail of the bull head going off the edge really makes me think it's based on another thing. Google is failing me!

Are there other hardstones you've found that don't have polished edges? The small collection I have are all polished.

 

No, the Fries piece is hand carved, not ultrasonically cut. No "fallen snow". I don't know where all the output went. I could not find a single store in I-O that sold antique cameos, only cheap ultrasonically carved cameos. It was quite disappointing.

 

Noooooo Well, I hope you at least got to see some in museums. That's so disappointing I'm sorry.

 

I saw the name and have to wonder if the carver wasn't a distant cousin. My grandmother was a Fries, and a lot of her ancestors emigrated from the far west of Germany. White wine country. If so, the artistic talent all stayed in the Old Country. (LOL)

 

Did you see this Castellani Caesar piece at SJ Phillips? They confirm the jewelry has the Castellani monogram on reverse, as well as a pretty dead on style match to yours with the same engraved mark! Only between 10-20k


They mention "Castellani and Italian Archaelogical Jewelry" as being the source on the cameo marks...is that what you read from?

 

I hadnt seen that, so thanks for sharing. It is stunning. And yes, that's where I read about the CC inscribed on the front.

 

Wouldnt that be cool??!!

 

Thank you! I was so focused on Pauline being the carvers name, I didnt think about the composition. I knew it was Venus but didn't know the model was Pauline Bonaparte.

 

Thought I'd add this one to this thread to keep the other cameos company.

Wax portrait of Socrates or a possible 19th c. gentleman commission on an amber base pendant. Amber is possibly pressed, but has drill and tool marks. I was theorizing it might be Simetite amber, but will probably never know for sure. See other thread for more photos, tests, and great discussion.