• Material: Sardonyx Shell 15K gold tested.
• Size: 2 2/8" by 2", cameo itself is 1 6/8" by 1 1/2".
• Date and Origin: Circa 1860 Italy.
• Conditions: Immaculate.

This is a rarest Museum Quality cameo depicting a rarest subject never seen before now, the Dancing Maenad. The subject is after a fresco found in the Roman city of Pompeii in a site called "Villa di Cicerone" in the first half of the 18th century.
The so-called Villa di Cicerone is a large suburban villa located in Pompeii just outside Porta Ercolano, located between the door and the Villa di Diomede, in front of the Villa delle Colonne a Mosaico. The villa, excavated in 1763 and immediately buried again with the earth from the excavations, has restored several frescoes and the famous two mosaics by the artist from Samo Dioskourides, now preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
"They are as fluid as a thought and  beautiful as if they were made by the hand of the Graces". This is how Winckelmann, the famous archaeologist, describes in a letter to the Count of Bruhl in 1762 the small female figures with their garments floating in the movements of the dance. Walls of the so-called Villa di Cicero in Pompeii were joined together to form a sort of continuous frieze. Fresco of the Dancers dates 1-37 AD. (see picture)
This subject was reproduced even on porcelain, especially dishes, in the late 1700's, see picture, now in the Capodimonte Museum, Naples.
This cameo is really outstanding, the carving is fantastic and her flowing dress is superbly made and seems that a real wind moves it. She's wearing sandals and you can see even their laces. one of her hands is lifted up and holds the flowing veils that becomes transparent. The grace of her movement can be clearly seen and the scene is ethereal. The carver reproduced perfectly the ancient fresco  subject. The cameo has been cleaned but there is still a little bit of dust because the carving is so intricate that it is hard to clean the smallest folds of her dress and her long hair. The gold frame is magnificently made and the gold twist just recall the movement of the dancer. Another rarest cameo to not to be missed.