Bidspirit auction | An Italian Hand-Carved Shell Cameo

An Italian Hand-Carved Shell Cameo depicting The Three Graces An Italian hand-carved cameo shell, fashioned from a Bull's Mouth Helmet shell (Cassis rufa), featuring a high-relief carving of three female figures in classical attire, traditionally identified as The Three Graces, set within a landscape. The carving utilises the natural colour strata of the shell to create white figures raised against a warm orange-brown ground. The natural morphology of the shell is preserved, displaying a thick, orange-tinted aperture and dark brown transverse ridges or teeth along the inner lip. A circular aperture is present at the base, indicating the piece was previously mounted as a lamp base. No maker's marks or signatures are visible. Height: 17 cm.