• Material: Cornelian Shell, 15K gold tested.
• Size: just over 2" by 1 6/8".
• Date and Origin: Circa 1860 Italy, frame could be English.
• Conditions: almost mint, the only things that I have to mention, for accuracy, is a line on the back, neither a hairline or a stress line, it is surface natural line of the shell,  two tiniest and invisible hairlines, by origin, just above her head,  a tiniest bent on the frame and that the shell moves a bit in its frame, but it is safe.

More than Museum Quality cameo depicting Goddess Flora, the carving is more than superb. Roses, daisies and leaves in her hair, wonderfully carved.  The cameo is deeply carved and Flora just jumps out of the shell! Look at the beauty of the facial features, she seems alive. All the carving in this cameo is an artwork due to the skill of the carver who used the colors of the shell to make the flowers. Her face is totally beautiful and has just the grace of a Goddess as she is. The frame in Etruscan revival completes the beauty of this cameo. This is with no doubt one of most beautiful Flora I have ever handled, the pictures speak by themselves. This is another masterly carved cameo. A very desirable collectors piece, rare and museum quality cameo.
A bit of History:
In Roman mythology, Flora was the goddess of flowers and the season of spring. She was a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, as there were several more important fertility goddesses, but her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime. Her festival, the Floralia, was held in April or early May and symbolized the renewal of the cycle of life, marked with dancing, drinking, and flowers. Her Greek equivalent was Chloris. Flora was married to Favonius, the wind god.