Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Cupid Bound arrived today and I think it’s hauntingly beautiful.

@Bronwen I soaked and scrubbed and soaked and scrubbed and soaked and scrubbed and made no progress in removing the black spots in each rose and by his right ankle. I even tried a little activated hydrogen peroxide liquid cleaner. There’s some little bits of black on the smooth back, too. Any ideas?
(LOVE it, regardless.)

EDIT to ask: Carved or molded? Porcelain?

 

Looks like sort of a Parian ware, which would account for the tenacity of the black spots. Not sure how to get inside the roses. You have the back to experiment on. You could scratch this, but cleaning methods you would use around the house are not likely to do any damage. Who do we have on the board who would know about getting stains out of unglazed ceramic? Maybe start a separate thread & solicit aid. I love him, spots & all. I'd probably first try a vintage typewriter eraser I bought for the purpose of cleaning things where a little very light abrasive might be useful, but not everyone has such a thing around.

 

Did you try one of those tiny brushes that are used for cleaning between teeth?

 

Happy New Year!

I purchased a cameo recently for a relatively cheap price and wanted to know as much as possible (if anything). These are the listing photographs, it’s en route. I don’t believe it has any high value but it fit some of my criteria (cheap, curious or cute) and I think this is in the style of jasperware. It looks like normal silver. The seller says it’s unmarked but listed it as tested sterling. Does anyone have a ballpark age for it? Who is this depicting?

 

The frame may well be silver but the jasper ware plaque does not appear to be original to it. That, or it was fitted in very badly.

I'm terrible with the historical ones. The main image here is a jugate composition of a couple of Julio-Claudian emperors with the bust of a third who is probably related to them. Feel I've seen the cameo before. We'll have to do some poking. There may be a coin it was modeled after.

 

Something to try. I have also used plastic toothpicks that have little bristles on one end with mixed success.

@bluumz What did you soak in & for how long?

 

Agreed, it looks like a replacement of some sort.

On the subject of cleaning, I gave that spotted cameo another go under a bath. More of the “freckles” have lifted off. I am going to pull out the new photographic microscope Mr. BMRT gifted me and use the 600x magnification to see if it’s pitted or what is catching the grit. It seems odd to catch so much in a speckled pattern unless it was a spray or something that got on it and now after much soaking its finally coming off.

 

I soaked it for about 15 minutes in a small bowl of tepid water with a drop of dish soap and then I scrubbed it vigorously, concentrating on the roses/ankle, using a soft toothbrush with a drop of dish soap on it. I repeated this process three times.

Is this a molded piece?

That's a good thought, thanks!

 

Soak in water with dish soap in it. I will soak cameos with really recalcitrant grunge overnight. Sometimes they still have to go back in the drink, even several more times.

It is a molded piece, so you don't need to be as gentle as you would with shell. You can be vigorous with the toothbrush.

 

Think I have seen compositions with a smaller figure representing a son or chosen successor.

 

Eye training exercise for today. You see this cameo at an auction house. It is described as: A Victorian hardstone cameo, of a Bacchanalian female in profile. The lot includes a second brooch of a pretty bluish marble-like stone set in silver. Auctioneer's estimate 60 GBP - 80 GBP. If the hammer price ends up in that range, is it a good deal? (Final total cost with all fees & taxes likely to be about double the hammer price.)

 

Ouch! For the dark background, glass signs are there, on the back
The profile is either glass or bisque (not sure!) applied on it...
Double the 80 GBP is a no for me, even if the quick look is pretty

 

You can also try saliva. The V&A conservation department gave that advice to a friend. The discussion about cleaning marble in another thread reminded me. I would leave it on for a bit, it can't hurt the cameo but may need time for enzymatic action to cut through grunge.

 

What she said.

 

Well, she certainly has some age and I like the cameo, but I am also with glass from the look of the back. There also seems to be damage to the surface of the black on the front.

Did they say what the metal is (I can’t make out the mark)? Do they mention that the bail is missing?

 

No, but I don't think it is. There's the little loop that's an attachment point for a safety chain at the top, & people sometimes use them as a makeshift bail by adding a jump ring. Auctioneer makes no representation about the metal, just shows the badly struck mark.

I think it's a really pretty piece & a fine example of what can be done with glass. Cameo is probably French even if setting may not be. Hard to credit auction house genuinely believes it is hardstone & set such a low estimate. May be what consignor told them but they have doubts.

 

Drool...

 

And this is how it looks covered with slobber from the last time I saw it. Isn't it delightful?

 

Ooohhh! DROOL TOO!

 

An eye-catching setting for some rather poorly carved cameos.
@Bronwen: Byne's?