Judging by her noble bearing, ornate hairdo with entwined blossoms and her finely rendered classical robes, this 19th-century Italian shell cameo may be a portrait of Flora, the ancient Roman goddess of flowers and youth. Images of Flora appear throughout the history of Western art from ancient wall frescoes at Pompeii and Carthaginian mosaic floors to the works of Botticelli, Titian, and Rembrandt. The art of cameo carving involves the selective removal of material from a hard stone such as banded agate or a shell to create a portrait or scene. Master cameo carvers skillfully reveal various color layers to accentuate specific elements of the design such as the pink in the roses in our Flora’s hair. Both the live edge and the hand-made sterling silver frame of our example are unusual. The cameo was most likely carved early in the 19th century in the Torre del Greco area near Naples, Italy, when the rediscovery of the lost cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum sparked intense public interest in the art and culture of Ancient Rome and Greece. Condition: Excellent. Dimensions: 2" x 1.5".