Cameo Art - Portrait of a Young Girl

Finely carved portrait cameo depicting a young Victorian girl in profile, circa 1880.  The cameo is of a very high quality with minute detail to the girl's face and hair. The highly skilled carver has used the layers of the shell to create a white frame around the young girl.

It was popular during the Victorian era for wealthy families to commission their own portrait cameos, either during a Grand Tour of Italy or by having the cameo carved from a photograph.  The young girl portrayed in this cameo is likely to have come from such a family.

The mount is intricately decorated with gold rope twists and scalloped wire. The gold mount is not hallmarked and is untested. The cameo shell has two faint stresslines, one small one above the girl's head and one running down in front of her face.  The brooch is 5.5cm (2.2 in) in height and 4.5cm (1.8 in) wide.  The clasp is secure.

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