Cameo On Agate, Female Bust In The Classical Style, 19th Century

Cameo on agate, female bust in the classical style, 19th century

A cameo carved from a two-layered agate, featuring a relief of a female bust turned to the right. The subject is rendered in the classical style: a face with regular features, abundant hair with wavy and curly strands framing the forehead, long curls falling down the nape of the neck, and an antique-style drape covering the shoulder, held in place by a fibula at the front.

The carving makes use of the natural contrast between the stone’s layers, with the figure in opaque white standing out against a solid brown-gray background. The modeling of the face, the nuanced rendering of the hair, and the depiction of the drapery’s folds attest to meticulous gem-carving craftsmanship. The reverse, smooth and of a uniform brown-gray hue, bears an engraved mark.

A 19th-century work.