English Neo Classical Two Colour Agate Cameo

Epoque: 1800-1900

Origine: England

Medium: Agate, velvet lined leather box, gold

Literature: The art of cameo cutting can be traced to the Ancient Egyptian carving of the sacred scarab beetle. Hard-stones were cut and engraved into the shape of a scarab and used as amulets. During the Renaissance there was a great renewal of interest in classical learning and the art was revived, only for it to fade and go out of fashion during the 17th and early 18th centuries. However, with the wave of Neo-Classicism in art and architecture that lasted roughly from about 1760 to 1820 cameo carving became a perfect expression of its spirit and was esteemed in the same way as painting and sculpture. The great archaeological discoveries of the time led to a new interest in ancient culture and the classical style of these ‘after the antique’ cameos satisfied the antiquarian tastes of the time as well as alluding to a rich genealogical heritage.