Cameo: Julio-Claudian Imperial Portrait
Unknown Artist
30 BCE–54 CE
Medium
travertine
Dimensions
4.6 × 6.4 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1991.154
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This fragment of a cameo depicts a man wearing a laurel crown and facing right. Roman cameo gems were made by carving through layers of banded semiprecious stones to create an image, here a portrait in off-white with a tan background. Scholars have identified this portrait as various members of the Julio-Claudian imperial family based on the laurel crown and style of the portrait. The close-cropped wavy hair, thinly arched brow, aquiline nose, and rounded chin are similar to depictions of many J...