Victorian Aphrodite & Dionysus Cameo Brooch
Okay, this one has us stumped... doesn't happen often with Classical myths. I think it's a young Bacchus/Dionysus dancing with Venus/Aphrodite. What looks like a Thrysus lies on the ground, cast aside, and a Herm watches on. Could the woman be Ariadne, whom Dionysus married after Theseus marooned her on Naxos? Maybe, but given Dionysus is portrayed as a child... probably not, plus she is not wearing a starry crown. And what of the Herm? There to protect the joining of Love and Wine? Is the whole thing just a triple fertility charm?
The scene is carved onto bull's mouth shell and set in a simple pinchbeck brooch mount. It dates from the mid 19th century and the cameo was likely carved in Rome, taken back to England as a Grand Tour souvenir before being mounted back home.
Era: Victorian, circa 1850
Size: 5.6cm by 4.7cm
Stone: Bull's Mouth Shell
Marks: None, tested as base metal
Condition: Great antique condition. The cameo has a hairline fracture at the top that doesn't break the surface (front nor back), visible when light shines through the shell.
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[Last updated: September 2026]
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