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Jupiter Cameo Size: Cameo only: 1 - 3/8 by 1 - 1/8 inches. Overall with frame 1 - 11/16 by 1 -7/16. Materials: Shell cameo set in a frame of chiselled gold-filled brass Condition: Excellent, with no chipping, surface flaws or wearing of the high points of the carving. The frame is contemporary to the cameo and is also in excellent condition. Date: ca 1825 Origin: Italy This cameo depicts the left-facing profile bust of Jupiter, the ruler of Olympus. He wears a flowing moustache and a full beard. Wavy hair, bound by a champion's wreath of laurel leaves, falls onto his shoulders. They are powerful shoulders, the left lightly draped with a softly pleated garment. The focus of the composition is on the face. Jupiter's eyes are large and expressive, the mouth and chin firm. The nose is noble, with slightly flaring nostrils. Jupiter bristles with masculine authority; he has a robust, swaggering quality befitting one who was not only the sovereign of the gods but the fabled seducer of beautiful mortal women. This superior cameo, notable for its virile design, is carved with a sure technique by an able artisan. The piece is nicely framed in a bezel ornamented with an attractive chiseled motif of swirling lines. It would sell at retail for $400.00. |