Victorian Lava Cameo Collection

Discoid mirror set in a silver frame and a polished shell case, secured with a silver flower-and-scroll mount and a small hook. 56.2 grams, 86 mm



Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market.

A carved wooden figure of Saint Francis of Assisi holding a skull in his left hand and a cross in his right hand, set on a red fabric inside a silver tongue-shaped case with applied twisted wire decoration to the outer rim; attachment loop with ring to the top. 48.1 grams, 11 cm



Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the French art market.

An oval intaglio finely engraved with a classical scene, at the centre a herm upon a plinth, flanked by two figures: the woman on the left wearing a gown with loose drapery falling across her arms, while the figure to the right is shown nude, the body scarcely veiled by a fine transparent cloth; at the far right a sacrificial altar surmounted by a lyre, introducing a musical or poetic dimension to the scene and emphasising its votive character; mounted in an ornate 18th-century French gold fob mount, pierced with scrolling foliate ornament and stamped with duty marks; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 6.60 grams, 25 mm



Acquired on the European art market.

The gem, cut in the 16th century, reflects the Renaissance revival of antique glyptic art, where Roman prototypes were carefully studied and reinterpreted with elegance and precision. The finely executed incision and harmonious arrangement of clothed and unclothed figures highlight the engraver’s technical mastery and antiquarian erudition.