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Cameo: Head of a Woman

1–100 CE
amethyst
Overall: 4.6 cm (1 13/16 in.)
Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. 1958.92
Location: 103 Roman
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Did You Know?

The metal setting is modern; this gem was likely originally a roundel.

Description

This carved amethyst cameo depicts a woman wearing a laurel wreath and a palla, a cloak worn by Roman noblewomen. The palla is tucked behind the woman’s ears and is visible over her right shoulder. She may have been a member of the Julio-Claudian imperial family or a wealthy private individual. In her hairstyle, straight nose, and small but full mouth the woman closely resembles portrait cameos identified as Antonia Minor, niece of the emperor Augustus and mother of the emperor Claudius. Only elite Romans could use amethyst; true purple stones had to be imported to Rome at great expense.
Cameo: Head of a Woman

Cameo: Head of a Woman

1–100 CE

Italy, Roman

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