Italian, possibly 17th century | Cameo with a Jugate portrait possibly with Alexander the Great and his mother Olympias Queen of Macedonia

The presence of the lion mask on the helmet might indicate that the warrior depicted on this cameo is Alexander the Great, and the woman his mother Olympias of Epiris. Jugate or double portraits were often used in antiquity, particularly for members of the Roman Imperial family. The format saw a revival in the 16th and 17th centuries. Compare, for example, with the early 17th-century cameo with Alexander and Olympias in the Royal Collection, London (inv. no. RCIN 65237). For the style of carving note the cameo with a jugate portrait in the museo degli argenti, Florence (inv. no. 1003).

RELATED LITERATURE

R. Gennaioli, Le gemme dei Medici al Museo degli Argenti: Cammei e Intagli nelle collezioni di Palazzo Pitti, Florence, 2007, p. 293, no. 316; K. Aschengreen Piacenti and J. Boardman, Ancient and Modern Gems and Jewels in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, cat. Royal Collection, London, 2008, p. 116, no. 177