Art Institute of Chicago

Cameo Portraying Tiberius

Roman (cameo) and Italian or French (mount)LinkedCulture matchlcp-e70b76de214d

Date: 14-37 (cameo); 1525-1550 (mount)
Medium: Gold, sardonyx, enamel, and pearl
Culture: Italy
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 119273

Although Tiberius (reigned 14–37) was 56 years old when he became emperor of Rome, portraits of him, such as this one, depict a conspicuously younger man. Here he is shown in profile and crowned with a laurel wreath, a symbol of victory. The comma-shaped locks that cover his forehead resemble those of his predecessor, Augustus, but his large eyes and slightly protruding upper lip identify him as Tiberius. This portrait was carved from a layered piece of agate with brown and white bands so that the figure of the emperor stands out against the dark background. It is likely that the cameo was originally part of a larger, multifigured composition that was broken into smaller pieces, after which the portrait may have been cut down further for setting into the gold mount.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of Marilynn B. Alsdorf
Provenance: Marin Torlonia, Rome, by 1808 [Godfrey Evans 2009]; sold to Alexander, tenth Duke of Hamilton (1767-1852), through Baron Alexander Rall as agent, 1816; sold, Christie, Mason and Woods, London, The Hamilton Palace Collection, June 17–July 20, 1882, lot 2164, to Thomas Miller Whitehead (1825-1897) [according to annotated sales catalog]. Sir Francis Cook (1817-1901), London, by 1908; by descent to his son Wyndham Cook (1860-1905), London; by descent to his widow Frederica Evelyn Stilwell Cook (1857- 1925), London; by descent to her son Humphrey W. Cook (1893-1978), London; sold, Christie’s, London, July 14, 1925, lot 59, to Joseph Brummer (1883-1947) [according to annotated sales catalog]. Melvin Gutman, New York, NY, by 1939; sold, Parke Bernet Galleries, October 17, 1969, lot 53, to Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925-2019), Chicago, IL; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1992.

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Object type: AAT300209261

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