Gold mounted Sardonyx cameo of the Greek Goddess Athena.
Origin and date: Italy, late 18th century. Gold mount probably England, late 18th century.
Measurements: cameo 3.3 × 2.4 × 1.0 cm; mount 3.6 × 2.8 cm. Weight 15 grams.
Description: A finely carved, high-relief sardonyx cameo depicting the side-facing bust of the goddess, executed with notable precision and delicacy. The figure wears a plumed helmet whose crest is supported by a winged Pegasus. Her hair is modelled in soft curling locks that fall beside the face and over the shoulder above articulated lorica (battle armour). Small grape-shaped earrings and multiple necklaces are carefully rendered, creating an appealing contrast between martial attributes and feminine ornament — a common aesthetic in late-18th-century classical revival portraiture. The relief shows confident toolwork: crisp contours to the facial profile, detailed treatment of the helmet and feathers, and subtle gradations of planes between the figure and the background.
Material and mount: carved in sardonyx, the stone presenting warm honey tones and a fine layered structure that has been used to good effect by the cutter to enhance the relief. The stone is set in an unmarked, high-carat gold frame, probably struck and finished in England after the gem’s return from the Grand Tour; the mount has lateral suspension loops indicating it served as the central pendant of an elegant necklace.
Condition: The cameo and mount are in fine condition and retain sharp modelling with only minor surface wear and minute nibbles to the extremities consistent with its age.
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