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Madonna and Child

cameo ca. 1500, mount 19th century
Not on view
The composition, with tenderly interacting figures, is arranged in the manner of early Netherlandish paintings of Madonnas. The Italian Renaissance brought with it a wholehearted embrace of classical antiquity throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Emulation of ancient cameos played a large part. Carvers invested ancient myths with increasingly refined compositions and techniques, paying close attention to the latest archaeological discoveries. Demand for Italian carvers took them to all the courts of Europe. Milan in particular developed a taste for cameos with wondrous atmospheric effects.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madonna and Child
  • Date: cameo ca. 1500, mount 19th century
  • Culture: French or Franco-Flemish
  • Medium: Sardonyx; mount: silver-gilt, diamonds
  • Dimensions: Overall (with bail and pendant): 2 5/16 × 1 1/8 in. (5.9 × 2.9 cm);
    Visible cameo: 26 × 21.2 mm
  • Classification: Lapidary Work-Gems
  • Credit Line: The Milton Weil Collection, 1938
  • Object Number: 38.150.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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