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A gorgeous 18th century Italian hardstone cameo ring. This beautiful four layered sardonyx cameo is carved from a single piece of agate with immense skill to reveal the bust of the Gorgon Medusa in classical style. Classical and Hellenistic depictions of Medusa are much more human than the ones we may know today with her sharp teeth and gaping mouth. These classical depictions, although much less monstrous, still retain a sense of the supernatural with subtle details such as a winged head and long snake-like hair. See the penultimate slide for examples of 18th century copperplate engravings of Medusa cameo carvings from notable collections.
The master carver cleverly uses each of the stone’s four differently coloured layers to fill various parts of the portrait. The topmost, a bright orange layer with red splatters, is used for the sinuous red hair which drapes down the shoulders. A lighter and more opaque white layer is carved underneath which softly frames the face. The background is a highly unusual yet beautifully contrasting blue colour whilst the final layer, a deep black, is only visible on the underside of the ring. The mount is crafted in 21K gold and is of typical late 18th century Georgian form.
UK size M 1/2, US size 6.5
The ring weighs 4.79g and the gold tests as 21K.
The oval face measures 22mm x 17mm.
Similar examples can be found in The British Museum (no. 1867,0507.706) as well as in The Royal Collection Trust (inventory no. RCIN: 65183, 65181, 65194). See the final slide for photos of these examples.
A gorgeous 18th century Italian hardstone cameo ring. This beautiful four layered sardonyx cameo is carved from a single piece of agate with immense skill to reveal the bust of the Gorgon Medusa in classical style. Classical and Hellenistic depictions of Medusa are much more human than the ones we may know today with her sharp teeth and gaping mouth. These classical depictions, although much less monstrous, still retain a sense of the supernatural with subtle details such as a winged head and long snake-like hair. See the penultimate slide for examples of 18th century copperplate engravings of Medusa cameo carvings from notable collections.
The master carver cleverly uses each of the stone’s four differently coloured layers to fill various parts of the portrait. The topmost, a bright orange layer with red splatters, is used for the sinuous red hair which drapes down the shoulders. A lighter and more opaque white layer is carved underneath which softly frames the face. The background is a highly unusual yet beautifully contrasting blue colour whilst the final layer, a deep black, is only visible on the underside of the ring. The mount is crafted in 21K gold and is of typical late 18th century Georgian form.
UK size M 1/2, US size 6.5
The ring weighs 4.79g and the gold tests as 21K.
The oval face measures 22mm x 17mm.
Similar examples can be found in The British Museum (no. 1867,0507.706) as well as in The Royal Collection Trust (inventory no. RCIN: 65183, 65181, 65194). See the final slide for photos of these examples.
The master carver cleverly uses each of the stone’s four differently coloured layers to fill various parts of the portrait. The topmost, a bright orange layer with red splatters, is used for the sinuous red hair which drapes down the shoulders. A lighter and more opaque white layer is carved underneath which softly frames the face. The background is a highly unusual yet beautifully contrasting blue colour whilst the final layer, a deep black, is only visible on the underside of the ring. The mount is crafted in 21K gold and is of typical late 18th century Georgian form.
UK size M 1/2, US size 6.5
The ring weighs 4.79g and the gold tests as 21K.
The oval face measures 22mm x 17mm.
Similar examples can be found in The British Museum (no. 1867,0507.706) as well as in The Royal Collection Trust (inventory no. RCIN: 65183, 65181, 65194). See the final slide for photos of these examples.
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