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Cameo
Unknown
(Cameo cutter)
Frame
Giuliano, Carlo
(Jeweller)
Novissimo, Pasquale
(Designer)
Second century Roman onyx cameo with white upper layer and dark lower layer, carved with a head of Medusa of Rondanini type. Shown frontally, the back left rough. Set by means of seven claws in an oval gold openwork frame enamelled black and white and alternately set with four pearls and four cobochon rubies. Suspended from the lower edge are a pearl, and an enamelled gold 'tassel' with a larger pearl at the end. At the top there is a ring and an enamelled gold loop for suspension.
History note: Unknown before testator
C.B. Marlay Bequest
Height: 8.2 cm
Width: 3.8 cm
Relative size of this object is displayed using code inspired by Good Form and Spectacle's work on the British Museum's Waddeson Bequest website and their dimension drawer. They chose a tennis ball to represent a universally sized object, from which you could envisage the size of an object.
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed
(1912)
by
Marlay, Charles Brinsley
2nd century A.D.
19th century
Circa
0100
CE
-
200
0200
CE
This pendant unites a second century Roman Imperial cameo of Medusa with a Renaissance Revival style mount, by Carlo Giuliano one of the leading jewellers who worked in both the Renaissance and Archeological Revival styles. The mount is typical of Renaissance Revival designs by Pasquale Novissimo (1844-1914), a jeweller who worked with Carlo Giuliano in London. However the cameo may be a later addition to the mount, perhaps replacing a large cabochon stone, which were more common. Founded by Carlo Giuliano, who was born in Naples and had trained in Castellani’s workshop, the successful family firm of Giuliano was praised for the spirited and varied nature of its historicist jewellery. Its best-known work was made under the direction of Carlo Giuliano, between 1860 and 1895.
Mount:
composed of
gold
( enamelled)
pearls
rubies
Cameo:
composed of
onyx
Depth 0.9 cm
Height 2.5 cm
Width 2.6 cm
Inscription present: indistinct letters in oval
Accession number: MAR.M.276-1912
Primary reference Number: 119030
Stable URI
Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2020) "Pendant"
Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/119030 Accessed: 2022-01-16 18:41:30
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/119030|title=Pendant|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2022-01-16 18:41:30|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}
<div class="text-center my-3">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa37/MAR_M_276_1912_1_201711_amt49_dc2.jpg" alt="pendant" class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">pendant</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Accession Number: ANE.10.1982
Accession Number: E.Misc.56.38
Accession Number: E.Misc.56.42
Accession Number: E.Misc.56.32
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