Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

Thank you for the compliment! I believe the cameo is made of onyx. To minimize confusion, perhaps referring to it as 'Sardonyx hardstone' would be more precise.

 

I'm also finding that there is or was a Richard Hahn in Idar-Oberstein who is or was a very famous modern cameo carver, according to the Lizzadro museum in Illinois and also some other sites. I found one article that includes his photo, from 1983 (page 10) https://www.gia.edu/doc/Engraved-Gems-A-Historical-Perspective.pdf

I haven't figured out whether he is still alive. And yes, I do realize that the setting on @PepperAnna 's cameo appears to be much older. Perhaps there was a family of carvers? @Bronwen 's find of Philipp may be the place to look.

 

From the side shot it does look like stone.

@Vector she is a real beauty!!!!!!!!

 

I swear I remember seeing this one but I can't remember where lol.

She's got a lovely delicate carving and is very wearable! Definitely show us some photos when you have her in hand.

 

looks like a quality mount...

 

It is one of those occupations that passes down generations, so could be. I have a big book that's supposed to be the history of lapidary art, bought because I thought it had more about cameos than it does. The bulk of it is about contemporary Idar-Oberstein stone artists. Pulled it out to look for Richard Hahn, only to discover that it does not have an index.

 

I'm going to introduce another term that is of absolutely no use unless you are speaking to the hardcore: chalcedonyx, white on white or very pale color.

This looks grey when it is sitting on a black surface:



on white:



back lit:



I think Vector's lady qualifies for the description 'chalcedonyx', fingernail white on undyed chalcedony.

 

This pin gives his life dates (but how did pinner know?) & shows a piece of his work, which is in the modern style:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/593208582170979674/

 

Modern cameos have a good market in Japan.

https://stonecameo.jp/sculptor/richard_h_hahn/

"Milichard H. Hahn

He is said to be the leading expert on modern cameo carving, and has trained many sculptors and passed on his carving techniques. He is a sculptor who has had a long history of cameo carving, spanning over 2000 years, and has had a great influence on the cameo carving world in the last 100 years. He is the teacher of today's leading cameo carvers, and his passion for carving has been passed down to each and every one of them. His bold use of materials to create powerful sculptures can be said to have laid the foundation for today's cameo sculptures."

 

Sure! hhh, It's from a recent auction in Paris.

 

Really cool info about chalcedonyx! Never knew it could look grey on a black surface, that's pretty neat. Thanks for sharing this gemstone trivia – always awesome to learn something new, especially about such specific details.

 

ooo, one of my pet peeves about some historical books or reference books.

And the Lizzadro museum claims to have several cameos by Richard Hahn but there is no search engine on their website! Another pet peeve.

Generally I'm not very peevish, though. My librarian experience has taught me to like finding aids.

 

Mention of Japan brought to mind an artist who doesn't do cameos, but seems cameo inspired: Kazuki Takamatsu

 

I like that! Some of his Sailor Moon-influenced pieces not so much, but then I'm not into nekkid ladies. (laddies maybe)

 

Boy, does it.

I've been saying for a while that modern cameos could be called 'camine'.

 

No, but go to https://lizzadromuseum.org/cameos
The first 2 are Hahn's, next to the 'helmut' shell one.

 

To be fair, Helmut is a perfectly good German name. Some poor spellecheck got confuzzled.

 

Thank you! I see them, but when I click on the them they don't open larger... got a blank page on one, and the other did nothing. Looks like they are done in javascript, which might be why. I thought that was an obsolete technology?

I would still like to visit there... since I now live in the Chicago area, I checked the directions. Nope... The traffic on the expressways is terrible... and it's about 43 miles from where I live. Could try to find back roads in that area, but then it could take several hours! Oh well.

 

My impression from poking around is that they don't really have their collection on line the way, say, the Met does theirs. They just show the categories the collection falls into.

Interesting to make the acquaintance of Richard, but he would not be PepperAnna's Hahn.

 

Here is a cameist I had not heard of before:

https://live.dumoart.com/online-auc...ascade-of-roses-ca-19th-c-h-2-1-w-3-4-5615264



I'm not sure why they only go with a cautious 'attributed to' when it has been signed twice. According to Forrer, Auguste Adolphe Froullé (called Varnier) was a sculptor and stone cutter, born in Paris in 1821.