Vespasian
Cameo
ca. 1550-1580 (made)
ca. 1550-1580 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Shell cameos are much easier to cut than those made from gemstones. Also, the raw material is cheaper and easier to acquire. They were popular in the 16th century and then again in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the passion for carved gemstones led to a parallel explosion in the market for cheaper shell cameos. They are still popular today. This cameo together with inv.nos. 249-1853, 252-1853 and 253-1853 formed part of a series, possibly made for a royal patron who would have viewed the Roman emperors as his antecedents.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Vespasian (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved shell |
| Brief description | Shell cameo of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, Italian, ca. 1550-1580 |
| Physical description | Cameo made of shell, depicting a laureated bust of the Roman emperor Vespasian |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Titus Vesp Caesar Aug P.M.' (Inscription; decoration; Latin)
|
| Object history | Previously thought to depict the Emperor Titus, Vespasian's son. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Shell cameos are much easier to cut than those made from gemstones. Also, the raw material is cheaper and easier to acquire. They were popular in the 16th century and then again in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the passion for carved gemstones led to a parallel explosion in the market for cheaper shell cameos. They are still popular today. This cameo together with inv.nos. 249-1853, 252-1853 and 253-1853 formed part of a series, possibly made for a royal patron who would have viewed the Roman emperors as his antecedents. |
| Bibliographic reference | Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1853. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 3. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 251-1853 |
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| Record created | December 12, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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