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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bronwen, post: 12488799, member: 5833&quot;]You&#039;d have to define best/finest, &amp; from whose standpoint.&nbsp; The most highly regarded cameos in the academic/museum world are antiquities engraved in layered agate using more than 2 color layers, such as the so-called Gonzaga cameo:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Cammeo_gonzaga_con_doppio_ritratto_di_tolomeo_II_e_arsinoe_II%2C_III_sec._ac._%28alessandria%29%2C_da_hermitage.jpg/250px-Cammeo_gonzaga_con_doppio_ritratto_di_tolomeo_II_e_arsinoe_II%2C_III_sec._ac._%28alessandria%29%2C_da_hermitage.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Part of their value, in addition to quality of execution &amp; age, are the difficulty of making fine work in this medium &amp; its durability.&nbsp; Personally I love even more the work of <a href="https://www.antiquers.com/threads/cameos-show-tell-or-ask-answer.23493/page-5#post-329747" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/threads/cameos-show-tell-or-ask-answer.23493/page-5#post-329747">Alessandro Masnago</a> &amp; of the <a href="https://www.antiquers.com/threads/cameos-show-tell-or-ask-answer.23493/page-5#post-329709" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.antiquers.com/threads/cameos-show-tell-or-ask-answer.23493/page-5#post-329709">Miseroni family</a>.&nbsp; They worked in stones with irregular layers &amp; a variety of colors.&nbsp; They must have studied each stone carefully to see what image could be brought out of it, rather than imposing a preconceived idea on it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The materials that allow for terrific work that doesn&#039;t take years to complete are the ones that can provide a fairly thick piece that is soft compared to <i>pietra dura</i>: conch shell; ivory; lava.&nbsp; As we have often seen here, helmet shell can be turned into some gorgeous cameos, but they are necessarily* in the lowest of low relief.&nbsp; Cameos in these thicker materials can be more sculptural, although ivory &amp; lava cameos are monochromatic.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]554988[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]554994[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]555001[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>* The exception is when the horn of the shell is used, but these tend to look unnatural unless seen directly from the front.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]555009[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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