Replication, Iconographic Seriality, and Cross-Cultural Issues: New Perspectives on the Portrait Cameos of Philip II

The article questions the extent to which the dissemination, reception and iconographic seriality of large cast medals can be said to have shaped those of gem likenesses of rulers in the sixteenth century. This interaction between gems and medals is particularly noteworthy in portraits of Philip II of Spain (1527-98), a monarch who promoted the production of cameos and artefacts in hardstone as part of a strategy of self-representation. The article focuses on five examples of iconographic seriality, polycentric production, and cross-cultural relations involving portrait cameos of Philip II. It also reconsiders the activity of Jacopo da Trezzo, Girolamo Miseroni, and Giampaolo Poggini in this field, re-assesses the authorship of works traditionally ascribed to Jacopo, and proposes a new attribution for the cameo with the likenesses of Philip II and his son don Carlos in the Museo degli Argenti in Florence.