ITALIAN OR FRENCH, CIRCA 1560 | Pendant Cameo with an Emperor

Emile Wertheimer (1874-1953), 2 Redington Gardens, Hampstead, London;
A. Loria (Wertheimer), until 1953;
their sale Sotheby’s, London, 7 July 1953, lot 78;
Martin Desmoni, 1953-1960;
his sale, Sotheby’s, London, 17 May 1960, lot 104

San Francisco, M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, 1958, no. 17

M. L. D’Otrange-Mastai, ‘A Collection of Renaissance Jewels’, Connoisseur, April 1957, vol. CXXXIX, p131, no. 20;
Exhibition of Renaissance Jewels Selected from the Collection of Martin J. Desmoni, exh. cat., San Francisco, 1958, no. 17

Overall the condition of the cameo is very good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a few very minor nicks or chips to the cameo, including a possible chip to the lower side of the Emperor's neck and a small adjacent nick. There is a small nick to the top left laurel leaf. There is a small slightly open vein or possible percussion point to the left translucent edge of the stone, partially concealed by the mount. The gold mount is in good condition with some losses to the enamelling. Approximately 50% of the red enamel ground to the obverse is lost, with some losses and wear to the blue enamel. Approximately 60% of the blue enamelling to the reverse is lost. There are some small losses to the red enamel. Small losses to the strapwork decoration on the central emblema. The gold link is probably original. There is wear to the gold consistent with age, including nicks to the edges.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Compare the setting to exhibited in Joyaux Renaissance, no. 18 (mid-16th, Milan), and a 16th-century Jupiter cameo in the Cabinet des Medailles. Compare the elaborate interlace strap work and moresques on the reverse to the prints of Etienne Delaune and Jean Gourmont, c. 1550-1575. The enamelling is close to that on the reverse of a cameo pendant published by Scarisbrick (op. cit., p. 14) and to that on the reverse of cameo in Cabinet des Medailles, (inv. no. BNF.742), also note another published by Hackenbroch (op. cit., pp. 82, 84-85). Compare also with the cameo with an agate cameo portrait of the Emperor Hadrian in the Bibliothèque Nationale Paris, Cabinet des Medailles (op. cit. fig. 212).  RELATED LITERATURE
Y. Hackenbroch, Renaissance Jewellery, New York, 1979; Joyaux Renaissance: Une Splendeur Retrouvée, exh. cat., Gallerie Kugel, Paris 2000; D. Scarisbrick, Portrait Jewels: Opulence and Intimacy from the Medici to the Romanovs, London, 2011