Attributed to Friedrich Ludwig Hoffmann (active circa 1760s), German, Bayreuth or Berlin, circa 1760 | Cameo with a Beetle

This charming cameo depicting a beetle utilises the natural lustre of its stone to evoke the insect's shimmering shell. Both the motif and the appearance of the cameo are strongly reminiscent of the snuff box signed by Friedrich Ludwig Hoffmann in the Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. Gilbert.416-2008). Carved in hardstone, this snuff box is decorated with an array of insects, including a similar beetle, a type of motif that seems to have been the artist's specialism. Hoffmann was active as a stone-cutter in Bayreuth for the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. Following the death of his patron in 1763, he may have moved to Berlin.