Antique Cameo of Flora Set in Gold, c. 1900 & c. 1980

The artistic and literary movement of aestheticism, which once again reached a peak in the years between 1890 and 1910, saw beauty as the highest good. Novels such as Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray or the paintings of James McNeill Whistler characterize this era, as the works draw attention to the intensely sensual perception of the world - its diverse textures, smells and scents. "They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty", wrote Oscar Wilde in his preface to Dorian Gray, and this soon became a kind of manifesto of aestheticism. It is therefore hardly surprising that, among all the themes and figures of mythology, this movement had a particular fondness for the youthful goddess Flora, who, as the goddess of spring and blossom, is not only responsible for the budding of beauty, but embodies it herself. This pendant shows us this lady of mythology. Flora is depicted as a young woman with roses in her hair, in Roman style in profile. The cameo, artfully cut from the shell of a sea snail, is held by a no less elaborate, solid 14-karat gold setting. The setting with an all-round cord was created around 1980 to match the antique piece from the turn of the century. The result is a piece of jewelry that spans several generations - but always with the aim of paying homage to beauty!

Estimate:£1,095.76

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