Dear Alessia,
Thank you for your reply, and thanks to Jon for forwarding this to you.
I appreciate the additional information.
I think you are probably right, and this was inserted and moulded in when the piece was made. It would certainly be ‘easier’, well as easy as moulding
molten lava would have been!
That’s the problem with having only images to ID and not the physical object. In the images, it just seems so poorly moulded in compared to the coins
we have in the collection. That and having never seen an example like this before got me pondering the alternative.
It would make sense that it’s a ‘modern’ souvenir, that certainly fits when the original person was travelling. I will forward your information on to
the enquirer.
Thank you again,
All the best
Kind regards
Andrew
From: Alessia Attanasio <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2024 11:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]; Andrew Haycock <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Fw: lava medallion enquiry
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Dear Andrew,
Dr. Jon Radley forwarded your enquiry to me because I have recently studied lava souvenirs from Vesuvius, which are currently on loan from the Warwickshire Museum to
Compton Verney, where they are displayed as part of the Sensing Naples exhibition.
I agree that this piece is different from others collected from Vesuvius or Etna. It may appear to be a later addition to the lava; but honestly, I don't believe this
is possible. Considering how these pieces were made directly from fluid lava, once it cooled down, it became impossible to work on or to remove the coin from the middle without risking breaking the lava stone itself. And that doesn't seem to be the case, as
all the contours appear intact and in line with similar pieces. I believe, however, that this is a late example, not attributable to the Grand Tour period but probably from the early twentieth century. There are no clear attributes except for the flowers adorning
the woman's head. They suggest a depiction of Flora, well known in the Vesuvian area, especially after Pompeii, although the quality of craftsmanship is not high. It is possible that the traveller purchased this small cameo to immerse it in lava and make a
souvenir to take with them. That makes me think it’s from a later time when that practice was common, and there was a local trade for these souvenirs, with people responsible for their creation.
I hope this is helpful, and please stay in touch and don’t hesitate to ask for further information or share more thoughts.
Best wishes,
Alessia
***
Alessia Attanasio
PhD Researcher in History of Art
Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies
University of Birmingham
From: The Geological Curators Group mailing
list <[log in to unmask]>
on behalf of Andrew Haycock <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 14 February 2024 12:59
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: lava medallion enquiry
Dear GCG subscribers,
I have had a lot of lava medallion enquiries come in over the years off the back of a blog we put on our website for the collections we have from Vesuvio. All of our examples
are medallions, tablets and coins pressed in lava. All the enquiries have been of similar examples.
I have also seen specimens from Etna as well, but I have never seen an example like this. These are the images that have been sent to me by an enquirer in Czechia. They
inherited the souvenir as a child from someone who used to holiday in Monte Carlo, though he isn’t sure where it was picked it up as the donor has long since died.
My first thought was that perhaps this carved figure may have been added later after the coin was removed? It does seem quite loose for something that should have been molded
in while the lava was still malleable. I can almost imagine being able to just about wiggle it in the gap, but the enquirer assures me that it can’t be removed.
Some of the examples we have in the collection, the coins have become quite corroded and illegible. Something like this example would perhaps seem more appealing to sell
on as an antique / curiosity.
My question/s is:
Is this original or has it been modified?
Does anyone else have similar examples in their collection.
Please reply off list,
I look forward to hearing from you,
Many thanks,
Kind regards
Andrew
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