Christ with Mary and Martha thumbnail 1
Christ with Mary and Martha thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

Christ with Mary and Martha

Cameo
1570 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Nuremberg (made)

An intaglio carving is cut into the surface of the material and a cameo is in relief. The art of gemstone carving was known in ancient Greece and Rome and revived in Renaissance Italy, when connoisseurs began to form rich collections of engraved stones. Shell cameos, which were cheaper and more easily worked, became fashionable in the 19th century. Many were bought by tourists as souvenirs.


Object details

Categories
Access_to_Images 2003
Christianity
Object type
Cameo
TitleChrist with Mary and Martha (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Shell cameo
Shell
Brief description
Shell cameo depicting Christ with Mary and Martha, Nuremberg, dated 1570.
Physical description
Shell cameo depicting Christ conversing with Mary and Martha.
Dimensions
  • Height: 2.125in
  • Width: 1.125in
Marks and inscriptions
'1570' (Signature; Unknown; dated 1570)
Subjects depicted
Jesus Christ
Mary (Virgin Mary)
Martha
Summary
An intaglio carving is cut into the surface of the material and a cameo is in relief. The art of gemstone carving was known in ancient Greece and Rome and revived in Renaissance Italy, when connoisseurs began to form rich collections of engraved stones. Shell cameos, which were cheaper and more easily worked, became fashionable in the 19th century. Many were bought by tourists as souvenirs.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Ritchie, Carson I. A. Shell carving : history and techniques South Brunswick, A. S. Barnes, [1974], p. 196.
  • Tait, Hugh. Catalogue of the Waddesdon Bequest in the British Museum. London : Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum Press, c1986-, Vol 3 'The Curosities', pp.123-126 & fig. 146.
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1859. 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. 6
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
6588-1859

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Record createdDecember 16, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O87387/christ-with-mary-and-martha-cameo-unknown/
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