Brooch
Jewellery
Inventory number
2020.10.1.8.JW.BC.C1850.FRDescription
Large oval brooch, with carved shell cameo representing Three Graces, mounted in scrolled gilded metal frame with openwork design of grape vines and leaves.A cameo is a carving in relief, often exploiting the natural layering and contrasting colours of the stone. Carving in a hardstone such as agate was a slow process. Carving in shell was much quicker and therefore cheaper. By the middle of the 19th century, shell carving had come to dominate production in both Italy and France.
Materials
BrassShell
Origin
circa 1850 FranceDimensions
Length : 4.5 cmHeight : 5.5 cm