Necklace (part of a set)

Unknown

early 19th century · Cast iron · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The necklace incorporates openwork medallions. The lowest is after the famous "Marlborough Gem" showing the Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, copied by Wedgwood, among others. Images of cameos proliferated on objects of all sorts during the age of Neoclassicism. Some were copies, some inventions, but all owed their origins to Greco-Roman antiquity. By implication, these adaptations underscored the owner's erudition and sober good taste. The owner might be rich or humble. Pottery such as Wedgwood's, for example, made enough use of cameos to satisfy all comers.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Cast iron

Culture

German

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1957