Early Berlin Iron Necklace

A remarkable early Berlin Iron necklace dating from the turn of the 19th century, circa 1790 to 1810. It comprises five neoclassical cameo plaques - the subjects in black lacquered iron set over mirror-polished steel backgrounds - mounted in gold and connected with lengths of iron mesh. The plaques depict some rather big hitters (clockwise from top right): Julius Caesar, Bacchus-Dionysus, Jupiter & Ganymede, Alexander the Great, and Hadrian. While hard to date precisely, it's definately an early example of Berlin Iron and may very well pre-date the opening of the Berlin foundry in 1804. The fact that the cameos are set in gold is very unusual, and the use of "Silesian" style meshwork suggests that it's very early, and possibly French (in 1806 Napoleon stole the moulds from Berlin after his invasion of Prussia and took them back to France). Technically a necklet, rather than a necklace, it has no clasp but fastens at the back with ribbon, giving the wearer some flexibility on the wearable length. Era: Georgian, circa 1790-1810 Length: 16 inches (plus ribbon to fasten) Width: 3.1cm Marks: None, tested as Berlin Iron and 22ct gold Condition: Great antique condition; light wear consistent with age. No rust to the iron or polished steel.