Late Georgian Cannetille Cameo Parure

A c. 1820-30 late Georgian parure, worked in 15k gold cannetille, set with neoclassical shell cameos accompanied by carved coral and turquoise embellishments, comprised of a necklace, cruciform pendant-brooch, and day-and-night earrings. The setting goldwork features a type of intricate filigree known as ‘cannetille’, so named after an embroidery technique working spiraled or twisted gold thread into lace and military braids; the fine wire scrollwork, coils, and granulation found on the present parure is a signature look for jewelry made in the 1820s. Post Napoleonic Wars Europe faced a decade of economic depression and gold scarcity. Cannetille was the goldsmith’s solution for trading density for volume, labor for material— that is, making the most visual spectacle out of a limited gold supply. A cameo necklace of related workmanship and age is illustrated on p. 236 of “A History of Jewels” by Anderson Black. For a similar cannetille parure, set instead with micromosaic, see p.160 of “Antique and Twentieth Century Jewellery” by Vivienne Becker.

Since about 1760, a Cameo mania had once again overtaken Europe, fueled by a broad cultural shift towards neoclassicism, exciting archeological discoveries (e.g. the rediscovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum), and resurgent interest in classical antiquity. A tourism economy had developed around the Grand Tour, an educational transcontinental trip taken by upper-class Europeans, which always included stops along Italy’s heritage and archeological sites. Grand Tourists contributed to consumer demand for shell cameo copies of classical gems and friezes, which they would bring back home along with crates full of books, works of art, and other cultural artifacts. By 1800, jewelers in major European cities were directly importing cameos from carvers in Rome and Naples. Whereas 18th c cameo collecting was considered a somewhat masculine hobby, fashion leaders of the Napoleonic court—among them Empress Joséphine and Pauline Bonaparte—helped to popularize the neoclassical cameo as a feminine style necessity. Portraits and prints from the early 19th c (such as the 1803 and 1808 portraits of Pauline Bonaparte) show parures set with matched cameos, worn with great elegance and sophistiqué. Surviving cameo parures from this period are illustrated p. 66 of “Understanding Jewellery” by David Bennett & Daniela Mascetti, p. 56 of “Georgian Jewellery 1714-1830” by Ginny Redington Dawes with Olivia Collings, and p. 118 of “French Jewelry of the Nineteenth Century” by Henri Vever.

The present parure are set with cameos in the classical taste; the subjects are identified as follows:

• “Cupid Chasing Butterfly”— based on the myth of Eros (Cupid) and Psyche. Psyche is the name of Cupid’s beloved. The word for ‘butterfly’ in ancient Greek is also ‘Psyche’ (ψυχή), which further represents the soul or human consciousness (i.e. “the human psyche”). Cupid’s pursuit of the butterfly represents the soul-encompassing nature of romantic love. The butterfly’s captivity by Cupid symbolizes a soul seduced by love. A 2nd c. BC cameo with this theme is in the State Hermitage Museum (Inv. No. APT 55).
• “Wedding of Cupid and Psyche”— a direct copy of the famous Marlborough gem, now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (99.101). This 50-25 BC gem depicts the marriage of Cupid and Psyche. The couple are veiled, chained, and led by Hymen in a bridal procession, while a basket of fruit is held above their head. Cupid holds a turtle dove and Hymen a torch. Psyche’s wings are those of a butterfly.
• “Sacrifice to Hymen”— based on a 1778 design engraving by Bartolozzi, which is in turn inspired by the Marlborough gem (see above). The scene depicts a group of four winged cupids leading a goat to sacrifice at a flaming altar. One putto holds a torch, another a trumpet. One holds the goat by the horns with his left hand. For a Wedgwood relief of the same subject, see Royal Collection Trust, UK (RCIN 45842).
• “Eros Riding a Lion”— based on various Roman cameos showing Cupid/Eros riding a lion, such as the 1st c. BC cameo in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Florence, and the 1st century BC cameo in the Bibliothèque Nationale Paris. The lion represents Heracles, whose legendary strength is helpless against the power of love. Eros riding triumphantly on Heracles’s lion conveys the message, “love conquers all.”
• “Cupid as a Ploughman”— based on cameos showing cupid leaning against a plow, such as the 1st c. BC cameo in the State Hermitage Museum (Inv. No. Ж 250). Refer to the poems “Cupid Turned Ploughman” by Matthew Prior (1664-1721) and “A Complaint against Cupid That He Never Made Him in Love” by Thomas Randolph (1605-1635).
• “Head of Baby Eros”— based on bust-like Roman cameos of Eros/Cupid as a male child. See the 3rd c. AD cameo in the Guy Ladrière Collection (n. 54), 1st-2nd c. AD cameo in the Princeton University Art Museum (2006-450), and 1st-2nd c. AD cameo in the British Museum (1872,0604.1316).
• “Mani in Fede” clasped hands— based on the Roman ‘mani in fede’ (hands clasped in faith) motif, which symbolized friendship, love, or betrothal. See the 3rd c. AD example in Boston Museum of Fine Arts (63.1555), which is accompanied by the inscription OMONOIA (harmony).
• Various animals— simple depictions of animals were popular themes and motifs in classical glyptics. Most carried symbolic meaning (Lion for Heracles and strength, dolphin for Venus, stork for filial piety, owl for Athena, goose for Juno, eagle for Zeus). For examples, see the 1st c. AD cameo of a lion in the Beverley Collection at Alnwick Castle (K118), and 1st c. AD cameo of a stork in the British Museum (1814,0704.1779).
• A Battle Scene — based on battle scene friezes and reliefs such as those found on the Column of Marcus Aurelius, the Column of Trajan, and The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.