Victorian Enamel "Halcyone" Box
Enamelled silver box dating from the late Victorian period and featuring a woman sitting on a rock in the middle of the sea, her arm outstretch to feed a gannet - possibly Halcyone and Ceyx. It's crafted in silver and the enamelling is black and white.
According to Greek mythology, Alcyone (aka Halcyon(e) or Alkyóne) and her husband, King Ceyx of Trachis, incurred the wrath of Zeus for their romantic hubris. From Wikipedia:
"According to Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, this couple often sacrilegiously called each other "Zeus" and "Hera". This angered Zeus, so while Ceyx was at sea, he killed Ceyx with a thunderbolt. Soon after, Morpheus, the god of dreams, disguised as Ceyx, appeared to Alcyone to tell her of her husband's fate. In her grief she threw herself into the sea. Out of compassion, the gods changed them both into "halcyon birds" (common kingfishers), named after her. Apollodorus says that Ceyx was turned into a gannet, and not a kingfisher."
Era: Victorian, circa 1880
Size: 1.3cm by 3.6cm by 4.2cm
Marks: None present, tested as silver
Condition: Good antique condition
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