This cameo of Venus and an Eagle provides a fine introduction to the art of carving multicoloured cameos. It was produced in Alexandria, in the workshop of the gem-carver named Sostratus. The blue-black background with light-coloured impurities seems like a painted depiction of the night sky. The entire surface of the cameo is occupied by the figure of the eagle of Zeus carved from the pale blue-grey layer. Standing in front of it and embracing it, her head raised in a kiss, is Venus. Her fragile figure is worked in shades of white and pink. Venus's special role in Roman lore as the ancestress of the nation gave the image of the goddess of love an official, state resonance in Roman art.