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SUPERB DOUBLE PORTRAIT SHELL CAMEO OF THE EMPEROR HADRIAN AND HIS WIFE, SABINA Date: early 19th Century Origin: probably France Materials: Shell cameo set in a gold-filled brass frame. Size: The cameo, excluding the frame, measures 1-1/2 x 1-1/8 inches. The overall size with the frame is 1-3/4 x 1-3/8 inches. The cameo depicts the right-facing busts and profiles of a Roman and woman of imperial rank. The man, shown in the foreground, is bearded and wears a double wreath of laurel leaves in his hair. A clasp adorns the shoulder of his garment. An imperial eagle clutching olive branches in its claws appears at the man's breast. To the left of the eagle is the god Mercury, wearing the petarsus (winged cap) and holding the caduceus. The woman wears a diadem and a softly draped garment with a ruffled bodice. The man and woman are identified as the Emperor Hadrian (76 - 138 AD) and his wife, Sabina. The two profiles bear a marked resemblance to contemporary busts of Hadrian and Sabina. The male profile on the cameo is almost identical to depictions of Hadrian on coins from his reign. The imperial eagle, symbol of Rome's military might, is emblematic of Hadrian's early career as a general. Hadrian was the most widely-traveled of the emperors; hence the presence of Mercury, patron deity of travellers. |
| This cameo, in the late neoclassical style, was carved with balance and proportion by a master portraitist. The faces of the two principal figures are remarkable; though rendered with great delicacy, the features are strong, with large and expressive eyes, firm chins and mouths subtly curved in half-smiles. The noses, in a welcome departure from the straight Grecian noses standard on cameos of this period, show individuality. The cameo is likely French and probably dates to the early years of the 19th century. The Emperor Hadrian was not infrequently depicted in the artwork of the court of Napoleon I because of the parallels between the two emperors: both were of non-royal provincial birth, both were generals, both traveled widely and visited Egypt. This may have been carved in one of the cameo workshops established in Paris by Napoleon. This is a superb piece which would sell at retail for $800. |