Victorian carnelian cameo ring, the hardstone carved in high relief with a bearded Bacchic mask and rubbed over in a heavy polished gold bezel.
The mask is carved frontally rather than in profile, the face framed by thick curling hair and a full beard, the mouth open in the manner of a theatrical mask. The type is Silenus, the companion of Bacchus, a subject carved in hardstone since antiquity and taken up again by the cameo cutters who supplied the nineteenth century trade. The carving stands well proud of the stone, so the modelling of the brow, the cheekbones and the curls of the beard reads in raking light. It is set in a plain oval collet on a heavy shank that swells through broad tapering shoulders, the gold left polished and unornamented so that nothing competes with the carving.
Dimensions -
Ring: 2.5 cm by 2.3 cm, standing 3 cm from the finger
Size: UK L / US 5¾ / EU 51
Weight: 13.25 grams
Specifications -
Period: Victorian, 19th century
Metal: Gold
Carving: Carnelian, carved in relief
Subject: Bacchic mask, Silenus type, carved frontally
Setting: Rub over oval collet
Shank: Heavy, with broad tapering shoulders
Carnelian -
Carving: Cameo, carved in high relief
Colour: Deep orange red
Shape: Oval
Setting: Rub over gold collet
Condition :
Excellent antique condition. The carving is crisp throughout with no losses to the high points of the hair or beard. The gold is unworn with a good polish and the collet is tight to the stone.
Stone weights and grades are careful estimates taken from the mounted piece and are not laboratory certified.
Victorian carnelian cameo ring, the hardstone carved in high relief with a bearded Bacchic mask and rubbed over in a heavy polished gold bezel.
The mask is carved frontally rather than in profile, the face framed by thick curling hair and a full beard, the mouth open in the manner of a theatrical mask. The type is Silenus, the companion of Bacchus, a subject carved in hardstone since antiquity and taken up again by the cameo cutters who supplied the nineteenth century trade. The carving stands well proud of the stone, so the modelling of the brow, the cheekbones and the curls of the beard reads in raking light. It is set in a plain oval collet on a heavy shank that swells through broad tapering shoulders, the gold left polished and unornamented so that nothing competes with the carving.
Dimensions -
Ring: 2.5 cm by 2.3 cm, standing 3 cm from the finger
Size: UK L / US 5¾ / EU 51
Weight: 13.25 grams
Specifications -
Period: Victorian, 19th century
Metal: Gold
Carving: Carnelian, carved in relief
Subject: Bacchic mask, Silenus type, carved frontally
Setting: Rub over oval collet
Shank: Heavy, with broad tapering shoulders
Carnelian -
Carving: Cameo, carved in high relief
Colour: Deep orange red
Shape: Oval
Setting: Rub over gold collet
Condition :
Excellent antique condition. The carving is crisp throughout with no losses to the high points of the hair or beard. The gold is unworn with a good polish and the collet is tight to the stone.
Stone weights and grades are careful estimates taken from the mounted piece and are not laboratory certified.
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