The History of the Cameo

ameos—emperors have commissioned them, kings have acquired them, and at least since the fourth century B.C. collectors have cherished them.

Cameos are works of miniature sculptured art. Their original purpose is lost in history, with the original intent of individual pieces known only to the craftsmen who carved them. What is known is that of the countless ancient examples of the sculptor's and carver's craft, none offers such a unique window through which to view the cultural past. Cameos reveal the manners, customs, philosophies, historic events, and social occasions that have marked our past. The ancient cameos, like fine art and sculpture, were intended as statements. Only in the last few hundred years has the significance eroded as cameos began to depict endless profiles—of vapid females.

Today most cameo connoisseurs believe that cameos originated without any practical purpose other than ornamentation, but a dutch scholar, Zadoks-Josehus Jitta, seeing their deeper meaning has characterized them as "messages in agate." In ancient times the cameo also served as an amulet, a talisman, a storyboard depicting ethics and morals, a tangible affirmation of one's faith, and in some cases a reflection of one's destiny. At one point the wearing of a cameo portrait of the ruling monarch not only showed one's loyalty to the court but also facilitated a quick audience with the ruler; such a cameo could quite conceivably guarantee safety and favor. Given all this, it seems inappropriate to consign the carving of cameos only to the category of personal adornments and amusements plastered on cups, vessels, crowns and relics, used to fill treasuries of royalty and the church. 

Cameos are still popular today. While carved stone cameos can still be found, shell cameos are admired for their own merits and can be found carved with a wide range of artistic details.

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