Posted 12 years ago
Agram.m
(760 items)
When I saw this Micro Mosaic brooch/pendant for the first time and it was said that it was Pietra Dura I knew immediately this Not Pietra Dura but Micro Mosaic .Although up till now I never saw a picture like this in Micro Mosaic jewelry.
There were two reasons for:
The tesserae (tiles) are very fine from which I conclude that this must be a very old jewel about 1800/1850s.
The brooch/pendant is set into gold or Vermeil (gold plated over silver) but this I could not prove. There are no marks at all.
The earlier owner called this image: Bacchantin which means: female bacchant, a female priest or devotee of Bacchus, god of wine (Roman Mythology). I think this is not correct it could be depicting Persephone, also called Kore, daughter of Zeus and the harvest goddess Demeter, and is the queen of the underworld. But I'm not sure if this is the right direction.
I am very happy with this rare Micro Mosaic brooch as you will understand. If you can tell me more about the image or other interesting facts? I like to hear it, I apppreciate the opinion of you very much!
Very interesting for the micro mosaic lover. Thanks for loving inky and scandinavian_pieces.
Very interesting...and pretty!
Hope you are doing well Agram.
Hoi AmberRose, good, you too? Thanks for your interest and loving the Goddess of Bacchus!
My oh my, what a piece!
I know that the tube-hinge came into use in the Georgian era, up to late Victorian, so it dates within that span. Deffinitely looks to be silver-plated gold, which is called vermeil in English. That border is very unusual, but very attractive, it really catches the eye!
I did a little Googling, apparently Bacchus is a God, not a Goddess? And he is depicted with grapes in his hair and a chalice of wine, which he is the God of. I think the previous owner may have been wrong about who that woman is. I'm sure you could figure it out though.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful brooch Agram, you really have fantastic taste. I really mean that too, whenever I see a GORGEOUS piece of jewelry posted here, I know its you before I click on it ; ]
Stillwater, thanks again for your comprehensive and clear explanation. Here we have at my site an example of misinterpretation of another language. I get the German word "Bacchantin" that means: female bacchant, a female priest or devotee of Bacchus, god of wine (Roman Mythology) that is depicting the image on my brooch/pendant. I am lucky to know now and thank you very much for your kind and friendly compliment you gave in your answer.
Your welcome Agram! :D Thank you for sharing your lovely piece
Is there someone who has seen such an image in Micro Mosaic before, because I think it' s quite rare?
This message I do not retain you. The selling of Micro Mosaic jewelry of eBay to see here on CW I happened to find a Micro Mosaic brosche with about the same image I published here already long time ago. Did the provider ask for more details but received no response so far (yet). It would be nice if they responded.
In any case this remains a special micro mosaic brooch / pendant.
Thanks Moonstonelover21 for your interest and loving
Nice to see such a Micro Mosaic brooch/pendant is on an eBay.com auction at the moment. This brooch/pendant have even finer, so even more beautiful tiles.
aeon thanks again for liking
Bratjdd thanks for your compliment and loving
Only 5 years late, but I can give you a bit on the imagery. She is indeed a bacchante/maenad, a female follower of the wine god Bacchus/Dionysus & a participant in his revels. This one is a bit more covered up than became the norm, but we know her because of the tambourine she carries in her right hand, the staff, called a thyrsus, she holds in her left & her dancing feet. Another indicator that the mosaicist was following an older conception is the nature of the thyrsus: the head on later versions is usually seen as a pine cone; this is surely of the earlier type, Ferula communis, the giant fennel. Tied with a ribbon, it is said to be 'filleted'.
'Pietra dura', hard stone, & 'micromosaic' are not mutually exclusive terms, the latter can be made using the former. However, in this case, think you are correct that it is not pietra dura; the tesserae appear to be glass. :)
cameosleuth thank you for your enlightening explanation about the image of this early micro mosaic brooch. Of this I have learned a lot and also other interested collectors. I am very grateful for that and it's also the purpose of this site. In the meanwhile, I have collected so many Micro Mozaiek pieces that I have some knowledge about this. You are indeed right, this is indeed micro mosaic and no pietra dura. Thanks for the particularly enlightening explanation. And I have another question after looked at your cameo site. I have a beautiful mounting in gold with seed Pearls and looking for a cameo (any kind, but old and beautiful) to put it in. But that have to match the right measure 1.4/1.5 inches by 1/1.1 inches. If you find one like this please let me know!
Looking at her again, she really is delightful. I do not recognize her specifically, as I do some other dancing figures, but, like those, she may have been inspired by the frescoes revealed in excavations of Herculaneum. They were very influential on engraved gems & related work, such as micromosaic.
A question for you: do you know the name Francescangeli & anything about this family workshop? I have a lovely hardstone cameo signed with this name. Internet searches turn it up only in connection with pietra dura mosaic, but of course lapidary skills can cross over.
Many unset cameos do turn up on the market, especially at uncertain economic times like this, when investors fly to gold, drive up the price & cause many beautiful cameos to be removed from their mounts. Does your mount hold the stone/cameo with prongs or with a bezel? If a bezel, when you look at the contour of the upper edge, is it level all the way around or does it rise & fall?
Think you are the only person who can select the one that is right for you, but will keep an eye out. :)