Attributed to Elena Pistrucci (1822-1886), Italian or British, probably Rome, circa 1870-1880 | Cameo with Minerva

This beautiful cameo follows a model by the celebrated gem-cutter and Chief Medallist at the Royal Mint, London, Benedetto Pistrucci (1784-1855) preserved in a wax-on-slate model in the Museo di Roma. The present cameo version is comparable with another in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 40.20.50). The quality of the carving is very high and the original surface beautifully preserved.