Coetzee depicts a cameo-artist, hidden behind a veil, so as not to reveal the secrets of his trade, and the globe-like object to the right is the next jewel he is going to work on. Cameo is a method of carving jewellery where the top whitish layer of a stone is removed to reveal a darker under layer, classically the designs of Greek or Roman mythology or portraits of important dignitaries were carved onto such cameo stones.