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The layers are translucent; this allows the artist to create shading effects by removing material to allow the background layer to show through. This way a very realistic, lifelike quality to a figure can be achieved. For example, thinning the top black layer on a three-layer stone changes its color to shades of brown. Removing material from the white layer creates shades of blue or grey, depending on the color of the base.
40:
118:, which has a negative image. Originally, and still in discussing historical work, cameo only referred to works where the relief image was of a contrasting colour to the background; this was achieved by carefully carving a piece of material with a flat plane where two contrasting colours met, removing all the first colour except for the image to leave a contrasting background.
365:
During the early period they usually consisted of a blue glass base with a white overlying layer, but those made during the later period usually have a colourless background covered with a translucent coloured layer. Blanks could be produced by fusing two separately cast sheets of glass, or by dipping the base glass into a crucible of molten overlay glass during
594:
ultrasonically in a vertical motion. The master is often hand carved by a skilled cameo artist. The result is a cameo that has a satin surface texture described as "freshly fallen snow" (FFS) by Anna Miller. This texture and the lack of any undercutting are used by appraisers as markers to prove that the cameo is machine-made.
435:
Classically the designs carved onto cameo stones were either scenes of Greek or Roman mythology or portraits of rulers or important dignitaries. In history, agate portrait cameos were often gifts from royalty to their subjects. These antique cameos, some more than 2000 years old, are either displayed
121:
A variation of a carved cameo is a cameo incrustation (or sulphide). An artist, usually an engraver, carves a small portrait, then makes a cast from the carving, from which a ceramic type cameo is produced. This is then encased in a glass object, often a paperweight. These are very difficult to make
690:. A number of metal gravers are used: flat-faced, round and three-cornered. To speed production, grinding wheels are used to quickly remove excess material. When the details are completed, the shell is then soaked in olive oil, cleaned with soap and water and selectively polished with a hand brush.
364:
objects were produced in two periods; between around 25 BC and 50/60 AD, and in the later Empire around the mid-third and mid-fourth century. Roman glass cameos are rare objects, with only around two hundred fragments and sixteen complete pieces known, only one of which dates from the later period.
610:
It is quite rare, these days, for subjects other than portraits to be carved by hand as agate cameos. The traditional themes of classical scenes from mythology or a standard image of a young lady, are more likely to be made with the help of the ultrasonic carving machine as a limited collection of
584:
Many modern cameos are carved into layered agates. The layers are dyed to create strong color contrasts. The most usual colors used for two-layer stones are white on black, white on blue, and white on red-brown. Three-layer stones are sometimes made. The colors are usually black on white on black.
593:
The majority of modern agate cameos are carved with the aid of the ultrasonic mill. This is a process where multiple copies of a master design can be produced very quickly by pressing a master die onto the agate cameo blank. A film of diamond slurry is used to aid cutting and the die vibrates
176:
Modern cameos can be produced by setting a carved relief, such as a portrait, onto a background of a contrasting colour. This is called an assembled cameo. Alternatively, a cameo can be carved by the traditional, but far more difficult, method directly out of a material with integral layers or
606:
There are very few people working in this field, as this is one of the hardest challenges for any gemstone carver. The combination of a highly developed artistic ability, craft skill and many years of experience are needed to be able to create lifelike portraits.
553:
purchased the Flora cameo from an
Italian dealer, believing it to be Roman. The Italian carver Pistrucci claimed to have carved it himself. Payne challenged Pistrucci to carve a copy to prove his claim. The ensuing publicity earned Pistrucci several
638:, the bullmouth helmet, the shell of which can be up to 6 inches long. In this species, the upper shell layer is whitish, and the lower shell layer is a rich orange-brown. Modern sources for this shell are
602:
These cameos are carved by hand, usually working from photographs of the subject. The fact that there is usually only one copy made means that the tooling costs involved rule out the ultrasonic carving process.
682:, Italy. The shells are first marked with a series of ovals in a process called signing, then cut into oval blanks for the cameo carver. The actual cameo is mainly cut with a metal scraping tool called a
393:, in the 15th and 16th centuries. Before that time, cameos were carved from hardstone. The Renaissance cameos are typically white on a grayish background and were carved from the shell of a
659:. This shell has white and dark brown layers and is known as sardonyx shell, and looks similar to the layered agate known as sardonyx. This shell is found in the waters of the Caribbean.
577:
420:
and West Indies, arrived in Europe. This sparked a big increase in the number of cameos that were carved from shells. Conch shells carve very well, but their color fades over time.
206:
of
Ostippo (Spain). On side B shown above, two males are on a bed in an erotic scene. Side A of the bottle, not shown, shows a female and a male in an erotic scene. 25 BCE – 14 CE
886:
Whitehouse, D., Cameo Glass, in Roman Glass: two centuries of art and invention, M. Newby and K. Painter, Editors. 1991, Society of
Antiquaries of London: London.
542:: Roman, about 20–50 AD. This head of Augustus was carved from a four-layered sardonyx. It is a fragment of a larger portrait of the Roman emperor-Augustus.
687:
444:
910:
Fleming, S.J., Roman Glass; reflections on cultural change. 1999, Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
514:
Herophiloska Cameo – Roman, 14 to 37 AD. This portrait of a man with laurel wreath is probably of
Emperor Tiberius. The work is signed
305:, was a major proponent of the cameo trend, to the extent that they would become mass-produced by the second half of the 19th century.
549:. 1812 AD. In this cameo the top red-brown layer has been carved into roses. The face is carved from the white layer. The collector
129:
Today the term may be used very loosely for objects with no colour contrast, and other, metaphorical, terms have developed, such as
157:, and any other stones with a flat plane where two contrasting colours meet; these are "hardstone" cameos. In cheaper modern work,
838:
224:, a word used in kabbalistic slang to signify a 'magical square', i.e. a kind of talisman whereupon magical spells were carved.
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The visual art form of the cameo has even inspired at least one writer of more recent times, the 19th-century
Russian poet
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Although occasionally used in Roman cameos, the earliest prevalent use of shell for cameo carving was during the
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and large earrings, although the largest examples were probably too large for this, and were just admired as
520:('Herophilus, son of Dioscorides'). The colour of the glass was intended by the artist to imitate turquoise.
974:
133:. This derives from another generalized meaning that has developed, the cameo as an image of a head in an
1200:
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834:
1180:
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975:
Biographical dictionary of medallists: coin, gem, and seal engravers, mint-masters, etc., volume 4
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655:
126:, the finest examples were made by the French glassworks in the early to mid-nineteenth century.
122:
but were popular from the late 18th century through the end of the 19th century. Originating in
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502:
480:
272:
24:
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Classical Gems: Ancient and Modern
Intaglios and Cameos in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
19:
1123:
Catalogue of the
Engraved Gems and Cameos, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman in the British Museum
580:
A modern hand-carved portrait cameo of white on blue-layered agate, set in 18 kt white gold
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294:'s support of the glyptic arts, and even his coronation crown was decorated with cameos.
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AD, although production continued at a much reduced rate right through the Middle Ages.
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E. A. Wallis Budge, Amulets and
Talismans, University Book, Inc., 1968, page 390-393.
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Cameo. Carved in Italy in the period of 37–41 AD. The carving is a three layer agate.
55:
wearing a gorgoneion and a sword-belt. Three-layered sardonyx cameo, Roman artwork,
898:
Whitehouse, D., Late Roman cameo glass, in
Annales du 11e Congres. 1990: Amsterdam.
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Since the late 19th century, the species most used in good-quality cameos has been
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In the mid 18th century, explorations revealed new shell varieties. Helmet shells (
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The most highly prized shell for carving is the emperor or queen's helmet shell,
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Woman wearing a cameo at her throat, on a high lace collar in the Edwardian style
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After 1850 demand for cameos grew, as they became popular souvenirs of the
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Ptolemaic double cameo — Hellenistic, 278–270/269 BC. Eleven-layered onyx.
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The technique has since enjoyed periodic revivals, notably in the early
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275:. Roman cameos became less common around in the years leading up to 300
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contains in its center the three-layered cameo of the Roman Emperor
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369:. The most famous example of a cameo from the early period is the
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or layered glass, where different layers have different colours.
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39:
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The Content Family Collection of Ancient Cameos-Ashmolean Museum
1063:
Dunlop, Paul H., The Jokelson Collection of Cameo Incrustation,
259:. The most famous stone "state cameos" from this period are the
394:
360:, in imitation of objects being produced in agate or sardonyx.
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111:
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A cameo carved into the dorsum of a shell of the tiger cowry,
271:, and the largest flat engraved gem known from antiquity, the
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August Rudolf Wild 1891-1956, Gemmenschneider (cameo-artist)
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Ancient and Renaissance cameos were made from semi-precious
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titled a collection of his highly polished, lapidary poems
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150:
134:
90:
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32:
646:. The finest hand-carving of these shells takes place in
322:, 1861), as reflections on each of the Roman rulers from
110:
or vessel. It nearly always features a raised (positive)
81:
945:
Cameo collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
705:
Luigi Saulini (1819–1883)-Rome, Italy, (son of Tommaso)
527:": Ptolemy II and Arsinoë II. Sardonyx. 3rd century BC.
202:
Perfume bottle made of cameo glass found in the Roman
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880:
78:
1114:
Corals and Cameos – The treasures of Torre Del Greco
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Cameo Appearances: Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art
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In Britain, this revival first occurred during King
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184:Sometimes dyes are used to enhance these colours.
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479:bowl made of a very large cameo and purchased by
1167:
699:Giovanni Noto (1902–1985)-Torre del Greco, Italy
410:) from the West Indies, and queen conch shells (
286:, and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. The
1161:Gerhard Schmidt, Gemmenschneider (cameo-artist)
678:The world center for cameo carving in shell is
597:
243:dating back as far as the 5th century BC. The
239:. Stone cameos of great artistry were made in
941:
939:
937:
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771:The Jokelson Collection of Cameo Incrustation
468:Cameo – Roman, after 10 AD. Two-layered onyx.
313:
312:, who composed a cycle of six poems entitled
954:Saint-Petersburg, The State Hermitage Museum
894:
892:
335:
231:, but in ancient times were mainly used for
43:Eagle Cameo, Roman 27 B.C. Two-layered onyx.
1073:
789:
251:piece surviving. They were very popular in
137:frame in any medium, such as a photograph.
1132:Antique Cameos in the Hermitage Collection
978:(London: Spink & son, 1904) p. 582 ff.
932:
439:
436:in museums or are in private collections.
920:Malcolm, Fiona (2008). "Vintage beauty".
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511:Cameo – Roman, 49 AD. Five-layered onyx.
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702:Tommaso Saulini (1793–1864)-Rome, Italy
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1146:Antique Cameos in the Hermitage Museum
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1025:
852:
738:
670:by Ascione manufacture, 1925, Naples,
499:, the best known piece of cameo glass.
493:, a large Roman or Hellenistic vessel.
1092:
863:. British Museum Press. p. 219.
749:. British Museum Press. p. 216.
728:- popular ceramic imitation of cameos
347:
255:, especially in the family circle of
173:, were also developed by the Romans.
858:
744:
35:, c. 23 AD, the largest of Antiquity
13:
796:. Black Rabbit Books. p. 26.
693:
460:. The gem measures 15,7 x 11,8 cm.
149:, especially the various types of
14:
1212:
1139:
987:Anna Miller. Cameos Old and New.
831:Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
614:
560:– Roman, Augustan-era, depicting
430:
401:, the latter a tropical mollusk.
301:'s reign, and his granddaughter,
672:Coral and Cameo Jewellery Museum
589:Ultrasonic machine carved cameos
571:
356:the cameo technique was used on
71:
1009:Cameos Old and New- 4th Edition
1000:
981:
966:
957:
948:
913:
841:from the original on 2021-10-23
793:Arts and Crafts of Ancient Rome
686:an invention of Jewish artisan
384:
1078:. Cambridge University Press.
1049:. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
819:
763:
1:
1151:Gareth Eckley (cameo-artist)
790:Ting Morris (1 August 2006).
732:
290:revival began in France with
56:
1097:. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
1074:Scarisbrick, Dianna (2003).
545:"The head of Flora Cameo" –
516:
505:– Roman, c. 23 AD. Sardonyx.
247:(a cup) is the oldest major
169:vessels, such as the famous
140:
7:
963:The British Museum, London.
922:The National Trust Magazine
709:
598:Hand-worked portrait cameos
10:
1217:
835:Metropolitan Museum of Art
191:
187:
177:banding, such as (banded)
611:typically 50–200 pieces.
227:Cameos are often worn as
1176:Ancient Roman technology
1134:. Aurora Art Publishers.
859:Tait, Hugh, ed. (2006).
745:Tait, Hugh, ed. (2006).
427:among the middle class.
1112:Fiorelli, Anna (1989).
1007:Jarrett, Diana (2009).
861:7000 Years of Jewellery
773:, Papier Presse (1991)
747:7000 Years of Jewellery
668:Cassis madagascariensis
656:Cassis madagascariensis
440:Notable historic cameos
220:
51:Cameo of Roman Emperor
1093:Henig, Martin (1990).
1045:Draper, James (2009).
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629:
581:
461:
381:
336:
314:
218:apparently comes from
214:alleged that the noun
207:
63:
44:
36:
1121:Walters, H.B (1927).
1026:Miller, Anne (2003).
665:
622:
579:
517:Herophilos Dioskourid
503:Great Cameo of France
447:
379:
273:Great Cameo of France
267:made for the Emperor
201:
114:image; contrast with
102:an object such as an
50:
42:
25:Great Cameo of France
22:
1196:Jewellery components
551:Richard Payne Knight
491:Cup of the Ptolemies
1130:Neverov, O (1971).
827:"Cameo Appearances"
547:Benedetto Pistrucci
531:Agrippina the Elder
485:Italian Renaissance
1201:Types of sculpture
1028:Cameos Old and New
1011:. GemStone Press.
688:Antonio Cimeniello
676:
630:
582:
481:Lorenzo de' Medici
462:
382:
348:Roman glass cameos
342:Enamels and Cameos
208:
165:are more common.
64:
45:
37:
1191:Hardstone carving
1104:978-1-85444-004-4
1085:978-0-521-23901-1
1056:978-0-300-14145-0
1018:978-0-943763-60-6
993:978-0-943763-60-6
870:978-0-7141-5032-1
803:978-1-58340-913-8
769:Dunlop, Paul H.,
756:978-0-7141-5032-1
635:Cypraecassis rufa
558:Schaffhausen onyx
332:Théophile Gautier
98:) is a method of
16:Method of carving
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615:Shell cameos
609:
605:
601:
592:
583:
554:commissions.
540:Blacas Cameo
434:
422:
411:
405:
403:
388:
385:Shell cameos
358:glass blanks
354:Roman period
351:
341:
319:
307:
296:
288:Neoclassical
281:
253:Ancient Rome
237:objets d'art
233:signet rings
226:
215:
212:Wallis Budge
209:
194:Engraved gem
183:
175:
144:
128:
120:
104:engraved gem
66:
65:
562:Pax Augusta
483:during the
477:Hellenistic
418:the Bahamas
391:Renaissance
362:Cameo glass
352:During the
284:Renaissance
249:Hellenistic
167:Glass cameo
1170:Categories
845:2021-10-23
733:References
726:Jasperware
640:Madagascar
425:Grand Tour
330:. In 1852
299:George III
204:necropolis
106:, item of
1186:Glass art
566:Felicitas
147:gemstones
141:Technique
108:jewellery
60: 14
839:Archived
720:Augustus
710:See also
674:Ascione
292:Napoleon
269:Claudius
257:Augustus
116:intaglio
53:Augustus
29:sardonyx
684:bulino,
452:in the
416:) from
367:blowing
310:Lev Mei
229:jewelry
188:History
124:Bohemia
100:carving
62:–20 AD.
1101:
1082:
1067:
1053:
1034:
1015:
991:
867:
800:
777:
753:
395:mussel
320:Cameos
277:
263:, the
241:Greece
221:kame'o
112:relief
928:: 37.
648:Italy
399:cowry
315:Камеи
216:cameo
179:agate
163:glass
159:shell
155:agate
67:Cameo
1099:ISBN
1080:ISBN
1065:ISBN
1051:ISBN
1032:ISBN
1013:ISBN
989:ISBN
865:ISBN
798:ISBN
775:ISBN
751:ISBN
642:and
448:The
328:Nero
210:Sir
161:and
153:and
151:onyx
135:oval
33:Rome
23:The
564:or
397:or
344:).
326:to
1172::
934:^
903:^
891:^
879:^
837:.
833:.
829:.
650:.
456:,
373:.
91:oʊ
57:c.
31:,
1125:.
1116:.
1107:.
1088:.
1059:.
1040:.
1021:.
873:.
848:.
806:.
759:.
722:.
523:"
487:.
471:"
340:(
318:(
94:/
88:i
85:m
82:æ
79:k
76:ˈ
73:/
69:(
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