This is definitely a much nicer than usual example of a carved whole helmet shell. It would have been made in the Naples area.
The rather mixed "attributes', identifying features, make her somewhat ambibuous. The diadem is consistent with Demeter/Ceres, but she lack the signature wheat stalks of that goddess. The ivy vine draped across her torso is appropriate to a bacchante, one of the female followers of the wine god Bacchus.
Rating
Beautiful Cabinet Shell Cameo of Demeter by: Anonymous
Good Morning Rob!
Thank You for sending in photos of your Antique Cabinet Shell Cameo Beauty and Congratulations on your inheritance - what a statement piece, and what a wonderful work of cameo cabinet shell art! One would have to be extremely dim of vision, not to appreciate the high degree of the carver's art here...The art of the carver is clearly visible.
This particular antique cameo artwork carved into the shell as a acomplete piece of art in itself, is referred to as a Cabinet Shell Cameo and the subject on your shell is - DEMETER - - goddess of the earth, of agriculture and fertility, in general, in ancient Greek Mythology. The word Demeter means "Holy Mother Earth" - broken down further de = divine Me = mother and ter = earth.
Demeter is often depicted with a sheaf of wheat, (often to the virgin's left hand) in ancient GREEK mythology. Virgo is Demeter's constellation and the brightest star in Virgo is "spica" and this particular star - Spica- is symbolic of the ear of wheat. Demeter's month in Greek mythology is September (CERES is simply her Roman counterpart)
The art of the carver, the theme, age, size and setting all are considered when appraising a cameo.
