Cameo on banded agate, early 18th century (or earlier) - Lot 43

Cameo on banded agate, early 18th century (or earlier) Yellow gold setting, 19th century Yellow gold pendant convertible into a brooch, set with a large cameo on two layers of agate, exploiting the contrast between the translucent white layer and the pinkish background. The composition features two virile busts facing each other in profile, in the so-called 'Capita Jugata' style, which could be identified as late-Roman republican portraits - one in the foreground, a cuirassed figure wearing a feathered helmet and scrolled mantling (Julius Caesar?), the other in the background, a nude antique bust (Mark Antony or Crassus?). The whimsical treatment of the helmet reflects a late Baroque decorative vocabulary, reminiscent of the Italian workshops active in the Grand Tour market. The yellow gold setting, with openwork side hinges and engraved foliage decoration, with a ring at the top, is typical of 19th-century jewelry and is probably a remount from the Romantic or Second Empire period. The attachment pin is missing. No apparent hallmark. Approx. 3.5 × 5 cm. Gross weight: 27 g (Through crack of the stone; slight chip on the nose bridge of the background portrait).