Thorvaldsen’s Night

Finely carved Bull’s mouth shell cameo in a 15 carat gold engraved brooch mount, circa 1860.  The subject is the goddess Nyx or Night, after a bas-relief by Bertel Thorvaldsen. Thorvaldsen created his models for his iconic reliefs of Night and Day after a sleepless night in the summer of 1815 in Rome. Inspired by insomnia, the sculptor conceived the personification of Night in the form of a winged female in drowsy flight, her head tipped forwards in sleep and garlanded with poppies symbolising opium-induced torpor. Night gently cradles two children in her arms – Hypnos [Sleep] and Thanatos [Death].  An owl, the symbol of night, hovers in the background. The goddess is clad in classically-styled drapery and floats effortlessly with an ethereal quality, her delicately carved wings supporting her. The brooch measures 2 and 1/2 inches by 2 and 1/4 inches. Sensitively carved and in immaculate condition.

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Thorvaldsen’s Night