Wax seal pendant depicting the muse Terpsichore, goddess of music, song and dance - antique wax seal jewelry.
Terpsichore, Goddess of music, song and dance.
In late classical times, when the Muses were assigned specific literary and artistic spheres, Terpsichore was named Muse of choral song and dancing, and represented with a plectrum and lyre.
This wax seal pendant was made using an authentic antique intaglio, and this one has a particularly interesting history. The intaglio used in creating this charm is by Giovanni Pichler, active in Rome, Italy. He was the most famous gem engraver of the second half of 1700’s.
His pieces can be viewed in the British Museum in London, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles etc.
The seal is signed in Greek letters HIXAEP, which stands for Pichler.
Giovanni Pichlers own description of the engraving;
"A dancer. From an ancient Roman painting of the thermal baths of the Emperor Constantine in Rome.”
Giovanni Pichler (1734-1791)
The Terpsichore gem engraving can be found in H. Rollets book "Die drei Meister der Gemmoglyptik Antonio, Giovanni und Luigi Pichler: eine biographisch-kunstgeschichtliche Darstellung", Wien 1874, page 37, number 225.
Harvard Art Museum has the plaster cast impression of this gem engraving.
(http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/99655)
Note:
* this listing is for one pendant
* no frills - shipped with no meaning card, no gift packaging
* the pendant is made of solid bronze
* the size is about 22x25mm
The wax seal charms are made by hand in Myrtle Beach, SC by RQP Studio.
Please note that the charm has been through a oxidization process to give it an antique, vintage patina. The antique seal has been pressed into the bronze by hand, and this makes each and every charm unique. The charms are hallmarked on the reverse with the RQP logo stamp. The wax seal charm you will receive is similar to the ones in the pictures.
Helpful hints:
* Some of the images (above) of the wax seal charms have been photographed close-up. If you have a hard time imagining the size of the charms, then it can be helpful to physically draw the dimensions of the wax seal charm on a piece of paper.
*You can type in the words "mm to in" into Google's search box, that will give you a quick converter if you prefer the dimensions measured in inches.