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in the form of a scallop shell carved from a single piece of sardonyx, beautifully striated with deep brown, opaque white and translucent brown layers, mounted in a yellow gold brooch in the archaeological taste with applied decoration, a glazed compartment to the reverse.
The scallop shell is an attribute of the Goddess Venus, who is often depicted in Classical antiquity and the Renaissance as emerging from the shell. Venus is the goddess of love, beauty and desire. Examples of ancient Roman agate and rock crystal scallop shells have been discovered.
Length: 3.8cm
£6,000
