Very Large Shell Cameo of the Eos or Aurora in Silver, Naples ca. 1980

Eos, or her Roman equivalent Aurora - this was the goddess of dawn in ancient mythology, the "rose-fingered" one who made the sky turn rose-coloured in the early morning hours. She flew ahead of her brother, the sun god, through the dawn and coloured the night sky pink. Representations of Eos in a chariot drawn by white stallions are already known from ancient vase paintings. In contrast to the moon goddess Selene, for example, Eos does not wear any other attributes. The goddess is depicted here in the medium of the shell cameo, and the size of the cameo should be emphasized: the relief measures about 7.5 cm in height. Eos is depicted as a flying full figure, leading two steeds rising from dense clouds at the bridle. The sun rises behind the goddess and marks the beginning of the day. A small winged genius scatters flowers in the upper part of the depiction. The multi-figure motif is unusual and breaks away from known models with great artistic freedom. The work is signed on the lower rim and can therefore be attributed to a cameo carver with the name "de Paolo". The Italian silver stamp on the back of the frame allows us to locate the piece of jewellery to Naples, where both the goldsmith's work and the cameo were made. The large cameo is set as a brooch that can also be worn as a pendant thanks to a retractable eylet. The silver frame is adorned with a fine gold wire that swirls around the setting and is held in place by a sturdier silver wire. The cameo came to us within an impressive collection of old cameos and intaglios, which we were able to acquire here in Berlin.

Schätzpreis:€980

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