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1 of 253523 objects
Cybele / Ariadne (?) Cameo: 16th c.; Mount: early 18th c.
Saxon onyx: white on grey with mottled pink ground; open gold mount with open scrollwork at top, hook-shaped suspension loop and ring | 2.8 cm (with fittings) | RCIN 43773
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Cameo of a full-length female figure, naked and seated in a chariot drawn by two lions. She is accompanied by several putti, one of which flutters above, holding a laurel wreath.
The scene is based on motifs from Roman reliefs reintroduced during the Italian Renaissance. The figure may be Ariadne, consort of Dionysus. Alternatively, she may represent Cybele, the earth mother, although she is usually shown draped.
Text adapted from Ancient and Modern Gems and Jewels in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, London, 2008Provenance
First recorded in the Royal Collection in 1872
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Medium and techniques
Saxon onyx: white on grey with mottled pink ground; open gold mount with open scrollwork at top, hook-shaped suspension loop and ring
Measurements
2.8 cm (with fittings)
2.3 x 2.2 cm (cameo)
Category
