This exhibition at the Met in New York finished in late January, 2006. I visited this exhibit in April, 2005. Over a hundred historical cameos were featured. The exhibition traced the history of Cameo carving from Greco-Roman times through to the late 19th Century.

The carving by the Italian Pistrucci is stunning. It is in Jasper which is a relatively soft material. The carving is large at around 4 cm in diameter and is set in a well designed gold and diamond pendant. The finish is a high polish in all areas. The detailing of the face and hair is particularly fine.

The cameo on the right is in Lapis Lazuli and is 4cm by 3 cm in size. The detailing and finish is very fine. It was carved in 1568 in Italy. This stone is part of the Milton Weil Collection at the Met.

I found it very interesting to see the natural colors of the layered sardonyx. This is well shown in the carving on the left. This is of Isabella, wife of Charles V of Portugal and was carved in 1550. The Layered agate that I use for my Cameo Portraits is dyed to create strong contrasting solid color bands. This helps to create very striking portraits in modern pieces. However there is a wonderful subtle quality to these antique cameos.

This carving is in a layered agate and dates from 1876. It was carved in France by Adolphe David. The classical subject is Phaeton driving Apollo’s chariot.

My one critique of this show is that no modern works were displayed. A few examples of recent work would have shown how the art of portrait cameo carving has developed.

I have more photographs from this exhibition on my portraits in stone website. The link to the Cameo Appearances exhibition page of the Metroplitan Museum of Modern Art is here.
Tags: