In its latest high jewellery collection Sixième Sens, Cartier presented some enchanting glyptic work by in-residence master glyptician Philippe Nicolas.
Nowadays, glyptic art seems to be back to the centre stage of jewellery. Napoleon's support for glyptic art culminated in founding a school of engraving in Paris and, in 1805, extending the prestigious Prix de Rome (reserved for painters, sculptors and architects) to engravers. The French emperor, eager to legitimise his power by referencing the quintessential Roman symbols, championed the art of cameo and had his image engraved numerous times. Cameos became popular again during the Renaissance and reached their apogee with Napoleon Bonaparte. The term is derived from the Greek word gluptikos and glyptics initially referenced the art of engraving precious stones to create a raised design in the form of a cameo or otherwise a hollowed-out design known as intaglio.
#Roman intaglio ring series
In addition, a series of miniature falcon silhouettes sculpted in gold and turquoise were found in an Egyptian tomb dating from 3040BC. The earliest known evidence of glyptic art comes from China, where a pair of carved agate earrings from the fifth millennium BC were recovered. One of the most ancient jewellery crafts able to turn any material – whether as precious as emerald or as humble as wood – into a dazzling adornment is known as glyptic art, or the art of carving hardstones.
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