The technique has since enjoyed periodic revivals, notably in the early Renaissance, and again in the 18th and 19th centuries. Roman cameos became less common around in the years leading up to 300 AD, although production continued at a much reduced rate right through the Middle Ages. The most famous stone "state cameos" from this period are the Gemma Augustea, the Gemma Claudia made for the Emperor Claudius, and the largest flat engraved gem known from antiquity, the Great Cameo of France. They were very popular in Ancient Rome, especially in the family circle of Augustus. The Farnese Tazza (a cup) is the oldest major Hellenistic piece surviving. Stone cameos of great artistry were made in Greece dating back as far as the 5th century BC. Ĭameos are often worn as jewelry, but in ancient times were mainly used for signet rings and large earrings, although the largest examples were probably too large for this, and were just admired as objets d'art. ![]() a kind of talisman whereupon magical spells were carved. Sir Wallis Budge alleged that the noun cameo apparently comes from kame'o, a word used in kabbalistic slang to signify a 'magical square', i.e. Side A of the bottle, not shown, shows a female and a male in an erotic scene. On side B shown above, two males are on a bed in an erotic scene. Main article: Engraved gem Perfume bottle made of cameo glass found in the Roman necropolis of Ostippo (Spain). Sometimes dyes are used to enhance these colours. Alternatively, a cameo can be carved by the traditional, but far more difficult, method directly out of a material with integral layers or banding, such as (banded) agate or layered glass, where different layers have different colours. Modern cameos can be produced by setting a carved relief, such as a portrait, onto a background of a contrasting colour. Glass cameo vessels, such as the famous Portland Vase, were also developed by the Romans. In cheaper modern work, shell and glass are more common. This derives from another generalized meaning that has developed, the cameo as an image of a head in an oval frame in any medium, such as a photograph.Īncient and Renaissance cameos were made from semi-precious gemstones, especially the various types of onyx and agate, and any other stones with a flat plane where two contrasting colours meet these are "hardstone" cameos. Today the term may be used very loosely for objects with no colour contrast, and other, metaphorical, terms have developed, such as cameo appearance. Originating in Bohemia, the finest examples were made by the French glassworks in the early to mid-nineteenth century. These are very difficult to make but were popular from the late 18th century through the end of the 19th century. This is then encased in a glass object, often a paperweight. An artist, usually an engraver, carves a small portrait, then makes a cast from the carving, from which a ceramic type cameo is produced. 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.Ī variation of a carved cameo is a cameo incrustation (or sulphide). It nearly always features a raised (positive) relief image contrast with intaglio, which has a negative image. 14–20 AD.Ĭameo ( / ˈ k æ m i oʊ/) is a method of carving an object such as an engraved gem, item of jewellery or vessel. Three-layered sardonyx cameo, Roman artwork, c. ![]() Cameo of Roman Emperor Augustus wearing a gorgoneion and a sword-belt. 23 AD, the largest of Antiquity Eagle Cameo, Roman 27 B.C. Method of carving The Great Cameo of France, five layers sardonyx, Rome, c.
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