Cameo of Jupiter
50 B.C.-100 A.D.
Medium
Decorative Arts-Glass
Classification
Decorative Arts-Glass
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Accession Number
1929.8.169.2
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Cameo of Jupiter*, a delicate treasure from the Roman world, crafted between 50 B.C. and 100 A.D. This unidentified artist's work in glass exemplifies the ingenuity of ancient decorative arts. Cameo glass, a luxurious medium popular in the late Roman Republic and early Empire, involved layering colored glass—often white over blue or dark backgrounds—and meticulously carving it in relief to create raised figures against a contrasting ground. Such pieces mimicked the prestige of pricier gemstone cameos, making high art accessible to elite patrons. Depicting Jupiter, the supreme Roma...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –