Antique Italian 18th Century Georgian Gold Cameo Ring Bust of Medusa Hardstone

A very unusual antique gold ring set with a carved brown and white hardstone cameo depicting the theatrical comic mask of Silenus, the Greek mythological old rustic god of wine-making and drunkenness. The ring was made in the late 19th century and carries French control marks for 18K gold, whilst the cameo is probably Italian and made slightly earlier, circa 1800. Silenus was a companion to the wine god Dionysus, and suitably he was a notorious consumer of wine, usually drunk and supported by satyrs or carried by a donkey. Silenus was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysus, and was said to possess special knowledge and the power of prophecy when intoxicated. He presides over the other satyrs and is related to musical creativity, prophetic ecstasy, drunken joy and drunken dances. Silenus was usually depicted as a jovial old man, bald yet bearded, with a pot-belly, thick lips and snub-nose. The masks worn to play him in theatre really emphasised these features, as you can see with this cameo carving Theatre was a key part of ancient Greek culture. The theatrical masks worn by the actors, known as ‘prosopon’, served various purposes. They enabled individual actors to play multiple roles (or genders) in the same performance; the exaggerated expressions helped define the character being portrayed; they helped spectators in the back rows to tell the characters apart. This particular masked as mentioned before is a comedic Silenus, please see final photo for other examples of Silenus masks in museum collections. UK size N 1/2, US size 7 4.84g 18K gold French ‘tête...

A superb and unusual glass cameo ring made in Paris, circa 1960. The ring is rather large in scale, crafted in 18K gold and weighing a seriously impressive 29 grams. In the centre rests a bright orange “pate de verre” (moulded glass paste) cameo with a frosted glass effect to the front and a faceted underside. The cameo depicts the bust of a woman in classical style wearing a wreath of flowers and grapes. The ring head features an openwork gallery which takes the form of circles which are enamelled in black. There is a white and black enamelled floral motif on each shoulder with chased crosshatching in typical Renaissance style. This impressive ring is particularly unusual due to the fact that incorporates a variety of revival styles into the design, for example the 17th century style shoulders with the Art Deco era frosted glass classical bust. UK size Q, US size 8 1/2 29g, French hallmarked 18K gold...

A Georgian hardstone cameo ring, the oval-shaped cameo depicting the profile of a patrician, rub-over set within a yellow gold mount with ridged d...

The portrait head, facing right, with short hair and clean shaven, in a later ring mount, ring size 8 length 29mm, width 16mm