The Art of Cameo-CarvingThe art of cameo-carving is to Torre del Greco’s artists a calling rather than a career or a job. In most cases, these artisans start learning the cameo-carving skills and the secret techniques in their family’s workshop. The Master-carver is a father or an uncle, who will pass down the art by choosing the most talented one among the apprentices.The shells are collected all around the world, although the best ones come from Africa (Mozambique, Kenya, and Madagascar) and the Caribbean (Bahamas, Mexico, and Honduras). This stage is very important, because it takes a long experience to pick the right shell to make a perfect cameo. After many weeks at sea, the shells finally arrive to Torre del Greco. They are usually stored on rooftops so that they can dry in the warm sun of Napoli. Actual cameo-carving begins by cutting out of the shell what is called the cup. It is a very difficult procedure because the shell is cut in two pieces by one skilled person, using an extremely sharp wheel to slice the hard shell. In the cup, the artist draws the shape of the cameo he wants. The shell is concave, not flat, and shows several different shades of color. At this point, the shells are ready to be given out to the cameo-carvers who will complete the process by turning the simple shells into artworks. One of the most frequently asked questions about cameo-making is usually “how long does it take?” The answer: it takes as long as it takes. A survey of cameo carvers found some pieces taking two days while others were carved over a series of months. |
