Western Europe, England, Victorian Era, ca. 19th century CE. This is a fine onyx cameo of a Nubian woman that is set in a 62.8% (equivalent to 15K+) gold pendant setting surrounded by pearls and a diamond hairpiece. The cameo is a single stone that is carved as an elegant African woman in profile with a white diamond set in the center of her coiffure as part of a headband. The black cameo is deeply undercut to appear as if the bust is slightly floating above the rest of the stone, and the natural opaque white banding of the onyx contrasts and enhances the lovely profile. The gold formfitting bezel is framed by a twisted gold wire that is accented by 6 evenly spaced bezels containing pearls, with an integral loop and suspension bail at the top. The pendant is strung on a modern cord with a lobster clasp as a wearable piece. Size (cameo): 0.55" L x 0.43" W (1.4 cm x 1.1 cm); (pendant setting): 0.9" L x 0.66" W (2.3 cm x 1.7 cm); (cord): 21" L (53.3 cm); gold quality: 62.8% (equivalent to 15K+); weight: 3.5 grams

Historical portrayals of African people in European traditions are often overtly negative and allude to servitude. The term for these types of motifs by Europeans are known as "Blackamoor," an insensitive term that Victorian artisans used as synonymously to express prejudiced ideas of "exoticism and otherness." Artisans created jewelry of aristocratic Africans with heavily bejeweled features known as habille cameos. While some cameos are often an elegant portrayal and a stark contrast to the more extreme stereotypical and racist portrayals of African and darker skinned people, it is still important to note these cameos were made in a tradition that saw these people as decorative objects rather than historical figures of importance. Because of this unsavory association with racist depictions, these striking cameos are often overlooked, but in Western cultures where historical depictions of non-white people in any context were so scarce, they are still significant antiques to preserve.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#169416

Minor age and use expected wear, but otherwise intact and excellent. Strung in modern times on a modern cord as a wearable piece.