Antique Cameo with the Image of Menelaus set in Gold, c. 1865

This cameo was cut after a famous model: It is based on the bust of Menelaus, a sculpture that we find today in the Vatican Museums, see here. It is a Roman copy from around 230-240 BC after the Pasquino on the north side of the Piazza Navona in Rome, which today only survives as a torso. We know Menelaus' story from Homer's "Iliad". According to the story, he was the king of Sparta who married the beautiful Helen. After her abduction by Paris, he gathered a large army and led it to Troy to reclaim his wife, which he ultimately succeeded in doing. The Pasquino sculpture group depicts a scene from the Trojan War. It depicts the moment when Menelaus was guarding the body of Patroclus, Achilles' companion in arms, on the battlefield outside Troy. Here, too, the head of Menelaus is depicted in a calm pose. The probably Italian cameo cutter skillfully used the different layers of the shell to depict Menelaus as vividly as possible. The facial features stand out against the carnelian-colored background in a finely sculpted white. This beautiful work is framed by a simple gold frame with a simple cord band, which can be stylistically dated to around 1865.

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