A Victorian oval shell cameo brooch, carved to depict the classical subject The Sacrifice of Iphigenia, within gold scroll decorated mount, height 5.8cm x width 6.7cm. £300-400

The subject of the cameo depicts the classical tragedy recorded in Euripides’ play Iphigenia among the Taurians, fourth century BC. The scene is set prior to the Trojan war. Paris, the Prince of Troy, had abducted Helen, the wife of Meneleaus. Meneleaus and his brother, the Mycenaean king Agamemnon, responded by gathering a fleet and an army ready to sail to Troy and wage war. But Agamemnon had offended the hunting goddess Artemis (Diana) by killing one of her sacred deer, so she stopped the winds from blowing, leaving their fleet stranded in port. In recompense, Artemis demanded the sacrifice of Agamemnon’s virgin daughter Iphigenia (Iphianassa or Iphimede). The girl was brought to the port of Aulis on the pretext that she was to marry the hero Achillies (pictured right, in armour), and there was to be sacrificed. In some versions of the tale, such as Euripides’ play, the goddess Artemis relents in the final seconds and spirits the girl away, leaving a deer in her place. In others, the sacrifice occurs, precipitating further tragedies.

The image is taken from an etching by the Italian Baroque artist, Pietro Testa (1611-1650), best known as a print maker and draftsman, born in Lucca and later active in Rome. The image depicted here is from an etching with drypoint, published by Giovanni Giacomo de Rossi (1627-1691), circa 1640-42. One example is to be found in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, another in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. The copper plate for the print is in the Calcografia Nazionale in Rome. A painting of the same subject by Testa (with minor differences) is in the Galleria Spada in Rome.

Copyright by kind permission of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.