"Cameo Helmet" mollusk (Cypraeacassis rufa) with carved cameo (one of a pair)

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • "Cameo Helmet" mollusk (Cypraeacassis rufa) with carved cameo (one of a pair)
Datec. 1850–1900
PlaceUnited States
MediumShell
Dimensions4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Alice Pratt Brown
Object numberB.73.2.1
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Belter Parlor
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
DescriptionThe "Cameo Helmet" mollusk (Cypraeacassis rufa) is native to the Philippine Islands and other central South Pacific areas. The different colored layers of calcium carbonate into which the cameo has been carved make the cameo appear that it has been painted or colored.
ProvenanceAlice Nelson Pratt Brown (1902–1984), Houston; given to MFAH, 1973.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Overall.
Samuel Gassman
2023
Tiara: Iron, platinum, enamel on copper, 19th century neoclassical helmet shell cameos, pink conch shell cameo, 19th century malachite cameo, 19th century hard stone cameo, shell, ebony, rose quartz, citrine, opal, garnet, sea glass, aquamarine, amethyst, gold, natural pearls, tigers eye, 19th century cut steel, silk, cotton velvet, and silk floss Box: Archival foam core, Magic Smooth resin, cotton gauze, silk, cotton velvet, silver, metallic bullion ribbon, paper, cotton damask c. 1900, silk damask c. 1850, 18th century linen, cotton thread, and silk floss
2024.284.A,.B
Scent Bottle with Cameo of Perseus
Pellatt & Green
1820-1840
Glass, ceramic, and metal
2021.41
Tumbler with Cameo of Napoleon
1840s
Glass and ceramic
97.1568
Dinner Plate
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
1778
Soft-paste porcelain
2002.39
Plate
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory
1784
Soft-paste porcelain
2008.349
Suit
Karl Lagerfeld
c. 1984
Silk satin, silk crepe, tulle, metal, and acetate
2000.239.A,.B
Female Figure
100 BC–700 AD
Spondylus shell, purple mussel, resin, cotton cord
2010.979
Tumbler with Cameo of Charles X
Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat
1840–1860
Glass and ceramic
97.1569
Wutala, Ancestral Crown
15th–17th century
Gold
2004.2311
Pair of Trophy Head Pendants
100 BC–700 AD
Sodalite, turquoise, spondylus shell, greenstone, shell, resin, cotton cord
2010.990.1,.2
Amulet in the form of a Turtle
12th–14th century
Gold
2004.2313