ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU STERLING PIN BROOCH PORTRAIT ATHENA MINERVA HELMET C.1900

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ANTIQUE ART NOUVEAU STERLING PIN BROOCH PORTRAIT ATHENA MINERVA HELMET C.1900:
$49.99

Nicequality Art Nouveau brooch featuring a side portrait of the Greekgoddess, Athena (or Minerva, the Romangoddess most closely identified with her). Athena is shownwearing her traditional helmet. According to mythology, Athena wasthe daughter of Zeus, and she was born fromhis forehead, fully formed and wearinga suit of full armor.

Athenahad many roles in Roman mythology, mostnotably as the Goddess of wisdom, lawand justice, strategic war and as the Goddess protector of the cityof Athens. Whether she took her name from the name of the city or thecity name was derived from her is unknown.

Athenais shown flanked by two upstanding Roman torches. In archaicmythology, a torch pointing upwards is a common emblem symbolizinglife, truth, hope, enlightenment and the regenerative power of flame.

Thebrooch is made of cast sterling silver with exceptional cut-out work,so that Athena\'s portrait really standsout. She is surrounded by theprototypical Art Nouveau swirls and whiplash decoration, andthere is a laurel leaf beneath her, which is the Roman emblem forvictory. Athenahas a lovely serene expression and thedetails of her features are sharp, crisp and well defined, as are thedetails on the rest of the pin.

Thereare 4 decorative openings in each corner of the brooch. Theyadd interest to the piece and also make it possible to utilize thebrooch as a pendant by adding jump rings to the top 2 holes, or asthe focal piece for a bracelet by using all 4 rings. The manufacturerprobably had this in mind when they designed the piece, as it waseconomically sensible to manufacture one mold from which they couldproduce several different applications from the same design.

I\'ma bit of a crafty gal, so at one time I sewed the pin to a lovelypiece of padded velvetand added an elastic band to the back,so that I could just slide it on and wear it as a cuff. I can\'tlocate the band now, but I am looking for it and IF if I find it, Iwill send it along. However, the brooch is being sold as is, withoutthe band.

Theback of the brooch is stamped “Sterling,” with no other hallmark.The design is very similar to the oneproduced by Foster & Bailey (F&B), but with some slight variations. This piece is unsigned.

Thepin stem mechanism has been partially updated. It probably originallyhad a “C” clasp and now has aroll-over safety clasp. You can see the little sterling silver padto which a jeweler attached the new clasp. It also has the extendedpin, which is a sign of the earlier pieces. It may be a littleyounger, but I feel the piece dates to circa 1900 with a later updateto the clasp.

Thebrooch is in excellent condition with no issues to report.

Dimensionsare approximately 1 ½” top to bottomand just shy of 1 ½” side to side.

Weighs 9.5 grams.

I am offering free shipping and insurance, and this will come to you in a lovely gift box.

Awonderful piece to add to your collection andsure to please.

SKU10836

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