GEMMA AUGUSTEA

(LatinGem of Augustus) Gemma Augustea, Roman sardonyx cameo, 1st century AD. In the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. sardonyx cameo depicting the apotheosis of Augustus. He is seated next to the goddess Roma, and both are trampling the armour of defeated enemies. It is one of the most impressive carved cameos of a series of Roman gems representing imperial persons. The Gemma Augustea (now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) was probably carved during the reign of Caligula (AD 3741). Others in the series include the Grand Came de France and the Blacas onyx cameo in the British Museum, London.