Allegory of the Day and the Night Material: shell, chiselled gold. Date: ca 1820-1830. Origin: France Size of the cameo: 1 9/8 x 1 11/16 inch Size of the brooch: 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 Condition: 100% Mint. The brooch appears to be never worn.   Cameo carved in very high-relief to depict the Allegory of the Day and the Night. The Day is symbolized by the radiant head and by the putto strewing flowers on the earth. The Night by a sleeping woman wearing the crown of opium flowers on the head, the moon and the owl as well with the opium in its talons. This cameo is a true masterpiece, a fantastic sample of this rare subject. It looks as never worn: all the details are still crisp, and the background is still glassy. The tiny hairlines, ner unvisible to the naked eye, are a peculiarity of this kind of shell. They are not dues to stresses or dehidration. The superb frame in massive gold, marked on the C clasp, is finelly chiselled and in perfect condition. The frame is original in all parts (just only a few doubts about the back pin).