Brooches & Pins

Antique Victorian Cameo Brooch of Jupiter

$ 1,560.00

Jupiter, literally ‘Sky-Father’ was the King of all Gods, In the myths of the Romans he was the supreme god who ruled all of Heaven and Earth. He loomed large in all of Roman life and, similarly to the Christian God of today, he was a daily part of the life of most Romans. In Ancient Rome Emperors wore Laurel Wreaths, made from the branches and leaves of the Bay Laurel (I bet they smelled lovely!). This wonderful Italian carving features the God Jupiter, wreathed in laurel, with his signature flowing hair and full beard. In the Victorian era, when a young person of means went on a ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe, they would often bring back iconic things from iconic places, things like linens from France, and hand carved cameos from Italy. Often micro-mosaic panels and cameos were brought back to England and then set into custom jewelry by English makers.

Here is such a peace, a wonderfully skilled carving of Jupiter in profile. The lovely, colored shell is carved to show its orange blush of color at the background while the white of the shell is carved into rich relief to form the image. We take three dimensional art for granted these days, but imagine the awe and wonder of a piece like this, produced before plastic and glass and things molded.

This cameo is set into a hand crafted 9 karat gold frame, decorated with wonderful waves of gold and engraving. This medium-large brooch measures 69.2 mm top to bottom and 59.7 mm across, it is 14.5 deep and weighs 23.6 grams. This brooch is unmarked and has been acid tested to verify the gold content. The cameo is in very good condition with little to no signs of stress.

I offer a 3-5 payment layaway on most items purchased for full retail price, please inquire if you are interested in setting up a layaway. Items ship when payment is complete and items purchased or payments made on layaway are eligible for store credit only.

I always want you to be happy with every aspect of your purchase. If you are not completely satisfied for any reason simply let me know and we'll work together to get the item returned for a full refund. I guarantee that my pictures and descriptions are as accurate as possible. My goal is to exceed your best expectations!

ITEM ID: BHC10189VA

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