Grand Tour Brooch Of Two Children Carved In Lava Stone

This brooch would have been sold in Pompei circa 1820 to European tourists who were doing “The Grand Tour” as it was known. This was the 18th and 19th century custom of a traditional trip through Europe undertaken by upper class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a chaperone, such as a family member) when they had come of age. Inevitably Pompei was on the list as it personified everything from Roman classical antiquity which was a highly fashionable subject to study. Shops traded in artefacts and trinkets. This brooch is a good example of how the lava from Mount Vesuvius was carved to portray two young children. It is mounted in 9ct37.5% pure gold (or 375 parts pure gold and 625 parts other metals) gold.