British, first half 19th century | Cameo with Saint George and the Dragon

The Lesser George is part of the insignia of the Order of the Garter, the oldest British order founded by Edward III in 1348. The present model is the same as that employed by Giovanni Battista Cerbara (circa 1810) and Benedetto Pistrucci (circa 1820) for two examples of the Lesser George in the Royal Collection (inv. nos. RCIN 100034 and RCIN 441221). Pistrucci became Chief Medallist at the Royal Mint and created the St George and the Dragon model for the new gold sovereign in 1817, which is still used to this day. A Lesser George with cameo signed by Pistrucci and gifted by William IV to Prince George of Cambridge in 1835 was sold in these rooms on 3 July 2018, lot 28.