silver gilt bracelet with Arethusa

A silver gilt bracelet with a cameo depicting the nymph Arethusa by Auguste Nicolas Cain (1821-1894). Cain was a noted French sculptor in the Animaliers school, known for his portrayals of wild and domesticated animals. One of the oldest sculptures in Central Park “Tigress and Cubs” is an example of his work. During the 1840s Cain provided models for the eminent Parisian jewelers Fannière Frères and, particularly, Frédéric-Jules Rudolphi.

In Greek mythology, Aretuhusa was a nymph who gave her name to a spring in
Elis and to another on the island of Ortygia, near Syracuse. The river god
Alpheus fell in love with Arethusa, who was in the retinue of Artemis. Arethusa fled to Ortygia, where she was changed into a spring. Alpheus, however, made his way beneath the sea and united his waters with those of the spring. According to Ovid¹s Metamorphoses, Book V, Arethusa, while bathing in the Alpheus River, was seen and pursued by the river god in human form. Artemis changed her into a spring that, flowing underground, emerged at Ortygia.

PeriodGeorgian
MakerAuguste Nicolas Cain
PriceSold

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