Early Modern Hardstone Cameo of a Bearded Man, Set in Gold, c. 1600 & Later

The desire to collect and own fine and precious cameos has united all ages from antiquity to the present day. Even the "ancients" (according to Goethe's dictum) collected stone-carved portraits of famous men, depictions of the gods and scenes from mythology. All later generations cherished these works. In the Middle Ages, even precious reliquaries in honor of Christian saints were adorned with these small representations of the ancient gods. With the rediscovery of antiquity during the Renaissance, cameos and cameos also received new attention. All of a sudden, a veritable collectors' market emerged, and the always rare antique pieces were barely enough to satisfy the demand. No wonder, then, that numerous new cameos were produced. This impressive men's ring presents an unusual stone cut from the early modern period. We see a large panel of bicolored hardstone with the head of a bearded man carved in great detail. The exciting view of the figure with his chin prominently stretched forward shows a stylistic affinity to German Renaissance art. We think of Lucas Cranach's famous portrait of Martin Luther in his disguise as Junker Jörg, for example. Unfortunately, we cannot say with certainty which antique personality we are dealing with here, as the image follows the general topos of antique depictions of philosophers, which was also used for Christian apostles. The stone carving was probably created around 1600. As a historical artifact, it was obviously particularly valued and made wearable as a ring in the first half of the 20th century. The simple setting of at least 900 gold follows the slightly irregular shape of the cameo. The ring can therefore be worn by men and women alike, an impressive piece of jewellery that spans the centuries and offers numerous links to art history.

Stima:€3,690

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