History
The origin of the term cameo remains somewhat of a mystery however it may have derived from the French camaieu, the Latin word cammaeus, or Khamea the ancient Arabic word for amulet.
The art of gem engraving and carving can be traced back to ancient Egypt. This art and its techniques were quickly copied by the ancient Greeks and spread throughout the Roman Empire. One of the best know survivors of a Roman cameo is a three-layered sardonyx engraved with the portrait of the Emperor Augustus, held in the British Museum. Cameos were prized for their miniature sculptural appearance and were popular during the Italian Renaissance. The Medici family of Florence had a predilection for collecting jewels and cameos and formed one of the most important collections in the world. Appreciation for cameos saw a significant revival in the early 19th century. Napoleon Bonapart had his portrait produced as a cameo in the style of a Roman Emperor by Beneditto Pistrucci, and Napoleon’s coronation crown of Charlemagne was set throughout with high quality agate cameos. The Victorian Classical revival also saw an upsurge in the production of cameo jewellery mostly engraved with typical classical gods and deities such as Zeus, Ganymede, Diana, Flora and Luna. These were mounted as brooches, necklaces and bangles etc.
Types of Cameo definition and techniques of manufacture
A cameo is made by producing an image in raised relief with the main subject appearing proud of the flat ground layer, as opposed to an intaglio that is engraved into the flat layer.
Cameos throughout the centuries have been engraved in all manner of materials that were hard enough to maintain detail and survivability. General hardstone materials include various agates and quartz, turquoise, labradorite and malachite. Other softer material include shell, jet, coral and lava (limestone sediment). Cameos are sometimes produced from gem stones such as emerald, sapphire, ruby, opal and moonstone. The most popular materials are agate and shell since they have various layers of growth that vary in tone or colour, allowing the image to be carved in a contrasting colour to the background. With shell the top white layer could be carved leaving the subject in white, the second layer being the brownish orange that is the ground. The most common shell used to produce these is the Bull mouth Conch (Haliotissardonica), and these were first produced in large numbers at Torre Del Greco, Italy from the early 19th century and are still produced there today. Regarding agate or onyx, which is also often formed with banded layers the engraver can cut away tones producing more detail for example in the case of a Bacchante profile portrait the foliate crown can be carved from a brown layer the white below, the head and the ground a third brown layer. The agates can also be dyed to form a black onyx ground and white subject.
Identification and value
Agate or sardonyx cameos command the highest values, particularly those produced by the great engravers such as Tommaso and Luigi Saulini, Benedetto Pistrucci, Giuseppi Girometti and Niccolo Amastini. These are often signed by the engraver usually around the front edge or exergue. Similar examples can be viewed in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum. These cameos are often mounted in gold mounts in the Roman taste which also adds to value. Some shell examples sometimes bare signatures often scratched on the back. General values are determined by the detail and quality of expertise of the cameo. If it represents a complex allegorical scene for example the more detail the better. If the cameo is carved in high relief this is also a sign of quality. Shell cameos can be identified by the evidence of fine fibrous texture when viewed under 10x magnification. Be aware that hardstone cameos may be composites with the white profile subject adhered separately to a hardstone base, and glass copies also exist.
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