Victorian Hades cameo layaway matthewartvinstat
Victorian Hades cameo layaway matthewartvinstat
$875.00
Description
DATE: Victorian, c.1890 (gold frame contemporary)
Hades was the Greek god of death and the underworld of which his name became synonymous. He and siblings (Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hera) were been consumed by their father, Cronus, as soon as they were born, which understandably bred a certain resentment among them. Zeus, the youngest child of Cronus and Rhea, was the only one able to avoid this fate and upon reaching adulthood managed to release the others. Together, the six younger gods gathered allies and waged war against the elder generation. The war lasted for ten years and ended in victory for the young upstarts who claimed rulership over the cosmos. The three brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew lots for dominion over the three principal realms - sky, sea, and the underworld - with the solid earth remaining under the control of Gaia. Poseidon got the seas, Zeus the skies, and Hades drew the short straw, as it were, with the underworld which included the mysterious Meadows of Asphodel and the subterranean darkness controlled by Erebus. With Zeus claiming the sky, Poseidon was second to draw his lot and, upon seeing he'd picked the seas, Hades is said to have laughed: "Yes! That means I've got the underworld, ha ha!". There was no love between these two brothers and as siblings who dislike one another will usually want what the other has, Hades decided to stick one to Poseidon by feigning satisfaction... it's also said that this was the last time Hades ever laughed aloud.
This remarkable pendant features a 19th century silver cameo of Hades in profile, looking stoic and sombre. It's mounted in a later gold pendant frame.
MEASUREMENTS
3.9 x 3.0 x 0.5cm (not including jump ring)
WEIGHT
33g
MARKS
No marks present, tests as 9k gold and silver
CONDITION
Very good
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