Roman Cameo by flavia49

Photography • Historical • posted on Jan 29, 2017

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Description

This is one of the imperial cameos kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. This exquisite cameo is called "The Gemma Claudia," a Roman five-layered onyx cameo, ca. 49 EC. Two pairs of symmetrical busts sprout from two cornucopias: on the left the emperor Claudius (10 BC - 54 AD) and his fourth wife, Agrippina the Younger (15/16 - 59 AD). Across from them stand the busts of the parents of the bride: the brother of the emperor, Germanicus (15 BC - 19 AD), and his wife, Agrippina the Elder (14 BC - 33 AD). Claudius married for the fourth time in 49 AD. There were great expectations of Agrippina the Younger, who on the cameo is portrayed as Cybele, the goddess of fertility, and hopes that following the assassination of her predecessor, Messalina, things would take a turn for the better. Yet her elevation to the rank of Augusta and the adoption of her son Nero would have disastrous consequences for the emperor and state. By marrying the great-granddaughter of Augustus, Claudius strengthened the connection between the Julian and Claudian families. Possibly this stone was an official wedding gift to the imperial couple.