Antique Shell Cameo after Antonio Canova in Gold, c. 1860

When the fresco depicting the Three Graces was uncovered in Pompeii in 1759, it was a minor sensation: the mural, which had been buried under the ashes of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, had miraculously survived almost intact. It shows a piece of the mythological imagery of Roman antiquity: the three daughters of Zeus - Euphrosyne (joy), Thalia (cheerfulness) and Aglaia (splendour) - dance together, gracefully and lightly. Since its discovery, the fresco has been reproduced many times - particularly as a print - and quickly became known to the wider public. The shell cameo shown here, dating from around 1860, also takes up the motif of the dancing graces, but surprisingly not in the style of the Pompeiian original, as one might initially assume. Although the cameo was most likely created in the Bay of Naples, in the immediate vicinity of where the fresco was found, it follows another, no less famous model: a relief by the neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova from 1797. Canova, one of the most respected artists of his era and a formative representative of classicism, based his work on an earlier tempera painting. He gives the antique motif a new dynamic: unlike in the Pompeiian version, the middle one of the three Graces is facing the viewer head-on, which lends the composition more movement and harmony. Canova also adds flowing robes to the scene and a wreath of roses on the head of the central figure - both elements that can also be found in the fine shell cameo. The piece of jewelry is an expression of the unbroken enthusiasm for antiquity that reached its peak in the 19th century. The simple gold setting of the cameo with engraved cross bands was probably created in England and is made of 15-carat gold. A delightful combination of Italian engraving art and Central European goldsmith craftsmanship. We discovered the three graces in the south of England and immediately took them to our hearts - after all, who wouldn't want to be accompanied by grace, splendor and festive joy? See the illustrations of the works of art described in the Museo Canova in Possagno del Grappa in the Veneto.

Estimate:£1,180.7

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