WILHELM SCHMIDT; A CARVED OPAL, CIRCA 1880 the carved opal d...

Hammer

£7,000

WILHELM SCHMIDT; A CARVED OPAL, CIRCA 1880 the carved opal depicting the head of a warrior, his helmet surmounted by The Sphinx, the reverse host stone also carved.
Signed "WILHELM SCHMIDT"
3.1cm x 5.6cm
Total weight 23.5gms
Provenance: From a private collection, acquired in. Shanghai of Home Kong from the 1930's onwards.

Note:
Wilhelm Schmidt (1845-1938)
Schmidt was born in Idar Oberstein and at the age of 15 went to Paris and trained with the cameo-cutter Arsene. There had been a huge interest in Cameos for centuries, but by the time Schmidt had graduated in the 1860's, that interest was beginning to fade. He eventually settled in London and worked alongside his brother in Hatton Garden who dealt in gemstones. He was working with some fabulously rare gemstone specimens and produced pieces for John Brogden, Child and Child and Carlo Giuliano and this helped to raise his profile. The big break came when he mastered carving opals. His work is exceptional and it is rare to find a signed example. 

Gertrud Seidmann, a connoisseur of Schmidt's work, explained the importance of Schmidt's work: "Opal cameos, if rare, were not unknown (in the 19th century) but Schmidt had invented a novel technique: instead of carving the whole cameo from precious opal, he used blanks with a thin layer of precious opal overlaying the matrix, in the same way in which the contrasted layers of agers were traditionally used to set off the background."

More Information

The opal has a fabulous play of colours with strong multiple orange, blue and green flashes.
very intricate carving and use of matrix through the piece is wonderful.
Slight small rough section to the top of the wing of the Sphinx on the upper side.
Signature very clear

Wilhelm Scmidt