Today, I explored some exquisite cameos at the Medici exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and found myself intrigued by the connection between these carved gemstones and the term “cameo” in the world of filmmaking. Surprisingly, there is a link! The tradition of engraving silhouettes onto cameos led to a new definition of “brief sketch of a person” for the word. This evolved into a more literary meaning in the 1850s, then transitioned to a brief appearance in a play in 1928, and eventually made its way into the world of cinema! The word “cameo” in its artistic sense comes from a Medieval Latin term spelled as camaeus, with an unknown origin. There are two prevailing theories: it may have originated from a Persian word meaning “ornamental stone” or an Arabic word meaning “buds of a flower”. Regardless of its origins, the journey of the word is undeniably fascinating.
