The delicate pendant, lot 187
The shell, a symbol of birth, features in art, and, of course, jewellery throughout history. The delicate pendant, lot 187 in the November 24th, 2013 auction features a small cherub, or putto, seated on a scallop shell, and playing a flute. This image of the shell recurs in some of the great artworks of the world, including that of Piero Della Francesca, Madonna and Child and Saints, with a gathering in the shadow of a large scallop shell, and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. The pendant is classic, and interestingly, while many cameos are carved from shell, this one is cut from a banded mineral, agate, and it is referred to as a “hardstone cameo”. For more information, go to: http://bit.ly/1augo1y
Piero Della Francesca
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus