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Lot 332
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Victorian 9K Gold Stickpin with Shell Cameo Portrait of a Lady
Victorian 9K Gold Stickpin with Shell Cameo Portrait of a Lady
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Europe, Victorian era, ca. 1837–1901 CE. A delicate stickpin from the long Victorian century, its oval shell cameo cradled in a four-prong gold-tone setting atop a slender tapering shank. The carving presents a classical female bust in profile, hair gathered and bound in the manner of a Greco-Roman muse, her features rendered in low relief against the warm cream and umber strata of the conch shell. Such cameos, hand-carved from queen conch or sardonyx shell and mounted in low-karat gold (here assayed at roughly 9.36 karat, consistent with British 9K standard), were the quintessential accessory of nineteenth-century gentlemen and ladies alike, threaded through a cravat, lapel, or bodice as a quiet signifier of taste and classical learning. The profile bust, perhaps an idealized Flora, Diana, or simply a generic beauty in the antique mode, reflects the Victorian fascination with neoclassical revival and the Grand Tour souvenirs that flowed northward from the carving workshops of Torre del Greco and Naples. Size of cameo: 0.4" W x 0.5" H (1.0 cm W x 1.3 cm H); of pin: 0.4" W x 2.7" H (1.0 cm W x 6.9 cm H).

Provenance: private Charlotte, North Carolina, USA collection; ex-Joel Malter collection, prior to 2004

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Item # 203196

  • Condition: Excellent. Some light surface wear, but, otherwise, intact, excellent, and wearable with good remaining detail.

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by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000