CAMEOS. Certain carved reliefs on stones, shells or other substances in which the engraver takes advantage of the medium having two or more super-imposed layers or stratifications of different colors or tones to obtain the most striking effect. The derivation of the word is contested. The late Rev. Charles King, one of the most prominent collectors and authorities, says the term comes from the Arab word cam-. ant, a flower, and it was used since the Crusades. He says the term camahuturn (from the Syriac chemeia, a charm) first appears in the 13th century. In early times the cameo has also been termed cadmeus and cameus. In most cameo examples the relief or subject is com posed from the upper layer and the lower layer is utilized as background. The substance used covers a wide range, among others: Agate, onyx, sardonyx, opal, amethyst, emerald, aquamarine, carbuncle, jacinth, chrysolite, lapis, garnet, turquoise, jasper, beryl, hematite, malachite, amber, mother-of-pearl, coral, and the shells, strombus gigas, cassis rufa, cams tuber osa, etc. The unicolos° are artificially treated stones (heat or acid action). Glass plates were also used in ancient Greek art as a medium; one example by Dioscorides' son, in Vienna, is a portrait of Augustus. The 'Portland" vase (q. v.), in the British Museum, is another. The paste was usually of blue ground with a white upper layer for the engraved subject. Antique cameos had their work done with a bow-drill. It is rare to find cameos engraved on the rear as well as the face side; some exist, however, and the Paris Bibliotheque Nationale possesses one with Agrippa on one side and Julia on the other. The connoisseur usually classifies an tique cameos as mythological, symbolic and heroic; frequently they are also divided into periods.
The uses to which cameos have been pui are quite numerous. The ancients ornamented vases, hair ornaments, bracelets, brooches, even furniture with them. The knight fastened them upon his armor, small ones were worn as am ulets. In the Middle Ages they Were lavished upon reliquaries, chalices, crosses, in the church. A peculiar condition that prevailed in the early Christian times was the aidaptation of stones having pagan engravings to Biblical sub jects. Thus they took Jupiter for Saint John the Evangelist because of the accompanying eagle attribute. Another peculiar fact is that cameos in olden times were rarely set in rings, although there are a few such Roman and others of the Renaissance period. The subjects treated in cameos are mostly faces terminating at the base of the neck, entire figures and groups. Of the former there are some contain ing two profiles superimposed, the upper one receding so as to expose the one beneath. Such heads are termed conjoined, and the pieces are known as baijoires. The ruler and his consort are often so treated. The cameos of the noted Greek Dioscorides are marvels of art and execu tion as also those signed Glycon, of whom the Cabinet de France, Paris, possesses an Amphi trite. This cabinet also has a signed Evodus example and other cameos such as the Minerva and Neptune (known to the Middle Ages as Adam and Eve), the Apotheosis of Germanicus, Triumph of Lionius (4th century), Apotheosis O of Augustus (imported from the Orient in the 13th century), the Grande Cam& (or cameo of Sainte Chapelle), a cameo of five layers, measur ing 30 centimeters by 26, on which are engraved the Apotheosis of Augustus, the Family of the Cmsars and Group of Captives and Warriors.
On the Byzantine cameos we find Agnostic sym bols and such early Christian monograms as IC-XC (Jesus Chisist), KC (Saviour), etc. The wonderful Tazza .Farnese, now in Naples, is a Renaissance work from the Lorenzo de Medici collection. The Renaissance, besides its other art giants, brought forth great cameo ar tists. Domenico of Milan, called Domenico dei Camei (of the Cameos) was engraver to the Medicis; Giovanni Belle Corniole (also of the 15th century) received his title Carnelian from his work in this gem stone; Matted dal Nasaro, of Verona, followed Francois Premier (early 16th century) to France where he did very fine portraits in cameo. The French engraver Julien de Fontenay, known in art as Coldore, did such splendid Work that Queen Elizabeth employed him at her English court, where he produced her portraits in turquoise and onyx (one is in the •Victoria and Albert Museum, London, another in the Cabinet de France, Paris). Henri 1V was extremely infatuated with cameos and wore 12 of them as buttons (they represented the 12 Ciesars), also a cameo in his sword, all of which are in the Cabinet de France. Among the noted family of Pichlers, gem engravers who did fine cameo work, are Ctiovanm, of Florence, and Luigi, second son of Antonio; the latter was Austrian court en graver under Francis I. In the 17th century the cameo was so much in vogue that the cele brated Flemish artist Rubens designed a num ber of copies of antiques. In the 18th century Jacques Guay, of Marseilles, did beautiful work Jean Laurent Natter, of Nuremberg, was great in imitating antiques, and even the Marquise de Pompadour engraved and signed the Genius of Music cameo. Artist Bouche designed cameos and Louis Chapat, and the most noted cameo artist of all, Joseph Pkhler, have left us very fine specimens of this glyptic art. The Simons (father and son), as well as Berini and Jeuffroy, belong to the well-known cameo artists of the 19th century. Bernardo Pistrucci did fine work in London. A Scots man named James Tassie reproduced (late 18th century), to propagate art knowledge, beautiful copies in glass of antique cameos which are collected by connoisseurs of this day on their art merits; they are fetching $10 or more these days though sold originally at $2.50; their colors are very brilliant, but these pieces closely re semble antiques. Besides the collections in Paris already mentioned, there are extensive cabinets at Dresden, Vienna, the Saint Peters burg Hermitage Museum, Florence, Rome, Naples and London.
E. C. F., logue des Camees a la Bibliotheque Nationale' (Paris 18971; Same, Gravure en pierces 'fines) (Paris 1894); Bucher, B., (Die drei Meister der Gemmenglyptik' (Vienna 1874l; Chabouillet, J. M. A., (Catalogue general et raisonne des camees et pierres gravees de la Bibliotheque Nationale' (Paris 1858) ; Daven Dort. C. ., (Cameos) London 1900); Raspe, R. E., ( descriptive Catalogue of a General Collection of ancient and modern Engraved Gems' (including Tassie Gems, London 1791).