The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 29, 2023

Cameo of King Charles VIII of France (1470-1498)

c. 1494

France, Lyon, 15th century

Agate

Overall: 3.4 x 2.4 x 0.4 cm (1 5/16 x 15/16 x 3/16 in.)

Gift of the George Kress Foundation in memory of William Mathewson Milliken 1978.58

Location

110B Late Gothic

Description

This jade-green agate cameo represents King Charles VIII in bust profile wearing the royal crown and the collar of the Order of St. Michael. The cameo was probably inspired by a gold medal presented to Charles by the City of Lyon during a visit in 1494 and was probably made to commemorate the event. It was perhaps a memento belonging to one of the town's nobles.

Inscriptions

Inscription

"C 8 RF" (possibly a later inscription).

Provenance
(E. V. Thaw, New York).
Citations
Verdier, Philippe. "A French Royal Cameo and Its Historical Background." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 67, no. 5 (1980): 150-55. Reproduced: p. 151-52; Mentioned: p. 150-55 www.jstor.org
Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1978. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 13-March 18, 1979).

Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 1982-March 20, 1983).

Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984).

Collecting Drawings in England. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1987-January 17, 1988).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1978.58