Cameo

a gem cut away so that the figure stands out in relief. It is the opposite in this respect to the intaglio in which the figure is a depression. If a cameo be pressed against wax it forms an intaglio, and, conversely, an intaglio pressed on wax forms a cameo impression. Cameo cutting is believed to have been practiced by the ancient Babylonians and Phoenicians. A cameo in an English collection, called the Cupid and Psyche, is believed to have been cut by a Greek not long after the death of Alexander the Great. The material most frequently used is the onyx and various kinds of shell. Artificial cameos are made of glass and other material. Florence, Italy, is celebrated for cameos and intaglio cutting.