1512 - Finely cut shell cameo depicting flora, as a brooch or pendant

Finely cut shell cameo depicting flora, as a brooch or pendant Probably Italy, second half of the 19th century. 333/- yellow gold, hallmarked. Total weight: 12.4 g. Hallmark: 9ct. Pin (metal) and eyelet replaced. H. 5.2 cm, W. 4.2 cm. Oval shell cameo with a finely carved, antique-style bust portrait of a young woman in right-side profile, likely depicting Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring. Her artfully styled hair is adorned with lush flowers and leaves; she wears a pearl necklace around her neck. Richly draped robe with floral decoration. Set in a gold-colored, filigree openwork setting with a surrounding beading of small spheres. Signs of age and wear. High-quality cameo carving with particularly three-dimensional rendering of the facial features, finely differentiated hairstyle, and richly detailed floral adornments. The antique-style depiction follows the tradition of 19th-century Italian cameo art, which drew particularly on mythological and allegorical motifs from classical antiquity.