Back to the previous page
Pendant
View larger image © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery Additional ImagesClick on each image below to view at full size: |
Basic Information | Accession Number: | 1981M563 |
---|
Collection: | Applied Art - Jewellery |
---|
Date: | 1880 c - 1880 c |
---|
|
Maker Information | Carver: | Luigi Saulini - View biography for Luigi Saulini |
---|
Jeweller: | John Brogden - View biography for John Brogden |
---|
Or: | Tommaso Saulini - View biography for Tommaso Saulini |
---|
Notes | Cameos with mythological subjects were in great demand in the 19th Century and were greatly prized works of art. This gem cameo is set in a gold mount and was made by the London jeweller John Brogden c1880. The original box shows Brogden as a gold medallist at International Exhibitions with exhibits of this quality. This piece was donated by Mrs Hull Grundy, an avid collector of jewellery, who made several donations from her collection to a variety of museums around the country. She regarded this jewel as one of the most prestigious in her Birmingham collection. It is thought to depict Phaeton the son of Apollo and the nymph Clymene. Phaeton's friends did not believe that his father was a god. So he visited Apollo and pleaded with him to help him to prove his parentage by letting him take control of the Chariot of the Sun. However, as Phaeton was a great deal lighter than the mighty Sun God, he struggled to keep the horses on course and he flew too high, burning the heavens and then too low, causing damage to the Earth. The Cameo shows the strong horses out of control along with the dropped torch representing the burning Sun. | Presented by Mrs Anne Hull Grundy, 1981. |
Further Information | Production Period: | 19th Century |
---|
Medium: | Gem cameo, mounted in gold. |
---|
Material(s): | Semi precious stone |
---|
Place of Origin: | London, England |
Dimensions | Height: | 6.5 cm |
---|
Width: | 4.5 cm |
---|
|