Antique Cameo Demi-Parure of Day-and-Night-Earrings and a Brooch

As early as the 19th century, cameo cutters in the Bay of Naples were producing exquisite cameos. They drew inspiration for their designs from prints based on famous works of art. Travelers on their Grand Tour of Italy purchased cameos here featuring motifs familiar to them, which were then usually set in gold in their home countries. Thus, this demi-parure is like a brief journey through art history. The two earrings depict dancers originally created as sculptures by the sculptor Antonio Canova beginning in 1809–10 (see here and here. These are so-called “day-and-night” earrings: The pendants in which they are mounted can be removed, and the upper parts featuring butterflies—symbols of Psyche from classical mythology—can then be worn on their own. The brooch depicts the Virgin Mary as a detail from an Annunciation scene, though no clear model for this can be identified: It is possible that the motif was first slightly modified through printmaking and subsequently by the cameo cutter. There is no overarching theme in the selection of motifs: each one comes from a different context. However, they are unified by matching gold settings that frame the motifs with slightly relief-like shell motifs. Thus, this small collection resembles a miniature, wearable art gallery. The design and craftsmanship of the settings, the choice of motifs, and the length and shape of the earrings allow us to date this beautiful demi-parure to around 1840. The hallmark narrows the date of origin to the years between 1837 and 1848 and locates its creation in Strasbourg. For similar two-part earrings from the 1830s and 1840s, see also Brigitte Marquardt: jewellery. Classicism and Biedermeier, 1780–1850, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Munich 1983, pp. 226 and 228.

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