Morning journal and courier., 1881-06-14
Price Four Cents.
Cameo Cutting.
Something About This Mtcros copic Dex
terity of fhe workingmen,

cODfC be
terity of fhe workingmen,
Cameo cutting is one of the most profitable
| arts to engage in. There are but few cutteers,
and there is a steady demand for all they can
produce. The cutters are very secretive and
greatly dislike to talk about their work
Most of the canoes are produced from sea-
shells. A visit to cameo-cutter's work
shop found him seated at table covered
with tools varying from a strong, triangular
shaped steel instrument to the most delicate
pointed bits of steel wire fastened in handles
Very fine files and knitting needles, set in
wood grips and ground to infnitesimal
| points, figured in the lot. On pad of
leather, before the cameo cutter, was block
of wood just big enough to be grasped with
his hand, and cemented to the middle of it
was an oval object that looked like piece of
alabaster, just big enough to make seal for
the finger of man who did not object to
wearing large rings.
Upon this the artist was Just finishing a
copy with pencil, pointed to needle fine
ness, of photograph in profile of gentle
man. which was leaned against little photo
graph easel before him. Having finished the
outline he laid his pencil by, and taking up'a
fine wire tool he scratched the pencil mark
around with it. Then he took a darning
needle with sharp point, and scratched the
line deeper He worked with magnifying
glass at his eye and stopped continually to in
spect the progress Of his work with critical
uniruteesss lent 1T Hgain, work
ing slowly, scratching over the same line
again and again and always examining after
each scratch He changed his tools as he
went on and from the darning needle descand-
ed to trihing little fragment of steel wire,
and as thick as an ordinary sewing needle set
in slender handle. With this he scratched
and scratched, until the lines he had drawn
with his pencil and quite vanished and thin
fine streak of dark color had Unmarked the
xT-
way around.
Next he took one of hurin-like tools and
commenced again. This time he worked on
the outside of the outline, cutting and scrap
ing at the surface until the white turned
gray, then brown and finall vanished, leav-
ing the face in relief, surrounded by black
ground-that is, the portrait remained intact
in the white surface which formed the outer
layer of the cameo, while it had been cut
away around it to the lower or dark layer
Ehe portrait or figure is then modulated up
on its surface until it assumes the roundness
of nature. The edges are left square to the
dark ground. This is necessary, as if they
are gradually rounded down the outline be-
comes underlined towards its juncture with
the relieving surface, owing to the white of
the raised portion being partially transparent
and permitting the dark to show through
after it is thinned down. Care is taken to
finish this dark surface much as possible
Will Iuo IOO1S auu hO SopeTdGo bAo
white from it as to leave it smooth and un-
scratched.
A fine polish is given it, however, with
putty powder, applied dry with stiff brush,
but the utmost care is necessary in this oper-
alton, as the slightest slip will ruin the work.
This is the cameo cutters work, the mount
ings beng the jewelers.. The canoes sell,
unmounted, for about 1926. Italy is the
home of cameo cutting and the finest work
of art in that line is still turned out there.
Genoa and Rome are the centr of produc-
ton. There is colony of cameo-cutters in
Paris who produce some very good work.
The canoes made abroad are as a rule, fan
ciful work, copies of statues, NEUROLOGICAL
figures and the like. The shells used in
cameo cutting are of several sorts, but all
are ordinary seashells or conchs. Some come
from the East and some from the West Indies.
Many are imported, as there is commonly
only enough material available in each one
for single cameo. These shells all have a
white surface, but the inner layer is red,
black and dark claret in color, according to the
species The pieces to be used by the artist
are sawed from the shells and shaped into
the square or oval form required on grind
stone Then they are ready for the artist.