Antique Carved Cameo of Ceres in Carved Ebony Mount, French

A carved cameo of Ceres, goddess of the harvest, shown in profile with wheat sheaves in her hair and drapery falling from her shoulder. The cameo has the matte, cream-toned surface and deep relief typical of 19th-century Grand Tour lava cameos. It sits in a hand-carved ebony mount with scrolls, a fleur-de-lis crest, and a small turned drop finial, which is a lot of architecture for something about the size of a palm.

The cameo is antique. The mount may have been made for it later. A handwritten French label on the reverse reads "Ce motif est en bois d'ébène de Mozambique, février 1942," signed. Whether that records the day it was mounted or simply the day someone decided the wood deserved a footnote, it's a rare bit of paperwork for an object like this.

The wood has softened at the edges and on the scrolls, the way carved wood does once it's been handled. The cameo shows a fine bloom in the recesses that keeps the carving crisp.

Details

• Origin: France
• Subject: Ceres, in profile
• Cameo: antique, carved, in the manner of Grand Tour lava cameos
• Mount: carved ebony, as inscribed; possibly later. The label on the reverse reads "bois d'ébène de Mozambique, février 1942."
• Dimensions: 3.25" × 2.75"
• Condition: wear to the mount and surface patina consistent with age. The original label is intact. Please review all photos.