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Cameo after William Henry Rinehart's Sculpture "The Woman of Samaria"
This cameo is after William Henry Rinehart's "Woman of Samaria," a major life-size sculpture in marble commissioned by William T. Walters and completed in 1861. The Walters Art Museum owns two other cameos after Rinehart's work (see Walters 57.2001 and Walters 57.854). One of these, a profile portrait of Ellen Walters, William's wife, was a commission from the Roman workshop of Augusto Castellani (1829-1914). It is therefore possible that this cameo was commissioned from the same workshop at around the same time.
Cameos done after sculptures were known in ancient times, and the practice continued in the 19th century. Castellani also executed a bust-length cameo of Hiram Powers famous statue the "Greek Slave," exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
William T. Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown, but perhaps by commission, ca. 1862]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2015 | Rinehart's Studio: Rough Stone to Living Marble. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/9/2014 | Examination | Examined and treated for exhibition |
| 12/9/2014 | Examination | The cameo was examined and cleaned in preparation for an exhibit about Rinehart and his studio practices (2015). |
| 1/14/2015 | Treatment | Repaired for exhibition |
| 1/14/2015 | Treatment | The cameo was cleaned and repaired for the From Rough Stone to Living Marble: William Henry Rinehart's Roman Studio in 2015. The brown background shell to the right of the profile was missing and was restored to complete the oval shape. The white profile is intact. Layers of Mylar, Acryloid B-72, Acrysol WS-24, Orasol dyes and Golden Acrylic Colors were used to imitate the missing shell. |
Geographies
Italy (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 1 5/8 × W: 1 1/8 × D: 1/4 in. (4.2 × 2.9 × 0.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters (?)
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
42.560