This Victorian cameo brooch with a 15ct yellow gold frame and outfitting is of English origin, weighs 17.5g and measures 6cm wide, 5cm high and 13mm deep. This immaculate Victorian cameo brooch is artistically carved in 'conch' shell, a sea dwelling molusk generally referred to as 'marine gastropod' with various species and names such as the 'horse conch' and the 'queen conch'. The animal inside the conch shell is edible and widely used in East Asian cuisine, the shells of which have been utilized for decorative purposes since ancient times, particularly by Mayan craftsmen and centuries later for producing cameos during the Victorian era. This delightful cameo brooch depicts the 'chariot of the sun', a legend from ancient Greek mythology related to a young man named Phaeton and Apollo the Sun God. Immaculately carved 'en relief' against a 'white on tan' colored natural conch shell, measuring 6cm long and 4cm wide, graded 'semi-translucent' clarity, all delicate features of the chariot, Phaeton riding it, the angels and the horses are impeccably carved with devotion to detail. This delightful and mythologically meaningful Victorian shell cameo is mounted within a meticulous frame of Etruscan Revival inspiration, handcrafted in antique 15ct yellow gold, the gold content being legalized in England in 1854 together with '12ct' gold, both of which were declared not permissible as of 1932 in favor of 14k gold which was stamped '585' in Europe. This exquisite ovular frame is chased throughout the perimeter with artistic florally themed engravings and Etruscan granulation accents, embellished with immaculately rendered gold wire borders. An original, well constructed hinged pin and C-hook secure this alluring Victorian conch shell cameo brooch.

The palace of the sun was always bright and sparkling with jewels. One day, a young man named Phaeton set out to see the palace and at the end of a long and hot journey, found himself before Apollo, the Sun god. Apollo was Phaeton’s father and, overwhelmed with joy to see his son, announced: "Ask me anything and it shall be yours" to which Phaeton replied "Father, let me take your place one day, command your chariot and pull the sun across the sky". Apollo tried to convince his son that no mortal could drive his chariot and that even the other gods could not control it. Phaeton was determined to drive the chariot, to which Apollo reluctantly consented, whereupon Phaeton climbed into the chariot and rushed up into the sky, pulling the sun behind him. Before long, he realized that the chariot was out of control, swinging eratically from side to side. The horses stampeded to the heights of the sky and plunged down towards the earth.... The sun set the earth on fire! Recounting this mythological tale, Hesiod, the Greek poet and contemporary of Homer, commented: "This legend from ancient Greece cautions that we must recognize the difference between harnessing the forces of nature and presuming to be those forces!".

EO627P1

Suggested Retail Price: $2,700.00 Your Price: $1,755.00 $1,350.00 Wholesale Price: $1,350.00