Neoclassical "Cupids Riding Dolphins" Shell Cameo Brooch
An unusually shaped nineteenth century shell cameo depicting four cupids (or perhaps putti) frolicking in the sea with dolphins. The detail is exquisite with whispy clouds above and hazy mountains in the background, the artist who carved using the natural white banding to incredible effect. It's set in a later gold brooch mount in the Victorian style, with hinged bail for wear as a pendant (the hallmarks date the mount to the 1990s, but the cameo itself was carved around 1850).
So what of the subject? I think it represents The Wild Ride of Love. The four putti - aka Erotes - are variously found in full song, strumming on a lyre, sounding a conch shell, and generally having a rollicking good time riding alongside the two sea creatures.
The depiction of Cupid/Eros riding a dolphin is an image found in ancient Roman and Greek art as far back as the 6th century BC. Dolphins have historically been associated with love and passion, and with the sea, where Venus/Aphrodite was born. The assonance of the Greek words delphis / δελφίς (dolphin) delphus / δελφύς (womb) meant that dolphins were considered sacred to Aphrodite, goddess of love, fertility and desire. One interpretation suggests that the dolphin’s ancient association with love and passion paired with Cupid symbolises the swiftness and playful nature of love. Another references the claim that Cupid is descended from the goddess Venus, who is said to have been born from the sea foam, thus the dolphin emphasises the connection between Cupid and Venus and his claim to divine lineage. And yet another relates to "a mosaic from late Roman Britain shows a procession emerging from the mouth of the sea god Neptune, first dolphins and then sea birds, ascending to Cupid. One interpretation of this allegory is that Neptune represents the soul's origin in the matter from which life was fashioned, with Cupid triumphing as the soul's desired destiny." [Source: Wikipedia]
Era: Cameo, circa 1850 - Mount, 1993
Size: 2.8cm by 3.2cm
Stone: Bull's Mouth Shell
Hallmarks: English, London, 9ct Gold, 1993, CJ LD Maker's Mark
Condition: Great antique condition, light wear consistent with age
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[last updated: August 23rd, 2025]
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