Antique Shell Cameo of Hera as a Pendant, c. 1880

Ideals of beauty change over the course of time. What was desirable a few centuries ago sometimes no longer seems relevant today. In the neoclassical period, for instance, a healthy complexion was a sign of poverty; a pale complexion alone was considered luxurious and beautiful. In the Baroque period, Peter Paul Rubens set the framework for the ideal of beauty of his era with his portraits of plump ladies, where today the Western world hungers for slimness. But as ideals change, so do compliments. Today, calling a lady a "cow" is considered insulting. In classical antiquity, the valuation of this animal in relation to the fair sex was entirely different. Thus one of the epithets of Hera, the mistress of the Olympian heaven of gods, is "the cow-eyed one" - and this was definitely meant as a compliment. Because cows tend to have beautiful eyes! The pendant of the years around 1880 shows a finely cut cameo of bicolour shell. Depicted is Hera the "cow-eyed" in a finely detailed cut. Hera can be recognized by her diadem, the so-called Stepháne (Greek στεφάνη), which distinguishes her as a married woman. On our shell cameo we see Hera in profile to the right. The simple setting made of 14-karat gold is timelessly elegant and without any ornamentation. Originally made as a brooch, the cameo was made wearable as a pendant in later times by adding an eyelet.

Estimate:£501.16

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