The greatest cameo carver of the 18th Century

Pistrucci was born in Rome and lived from 1697 – 1779. he is one of the most celebrated cameo carvers of any era. He enjoyed the patronage of Kings and was appointed Chief Engraver to the Royal Mint, London. Pistrucci designed the engraving of St George slaying the dragon which has been used on British coins ever since.

Cameo of Medusa carved by Benedetto Pistrucci

This cameo is very striking. I remember my first sight of in the Met Museum, New York. The carving is superbly detailed and given a high polish.The grim but mesmerizing visage of Medusa, the Gorgon decapitated by Perseus, was a favorite motif in classical antiquity and frequently invoked in later periods. He made this gem for the London dentist Samuel Cartwright, whose calling is reflected in Carlo Giuliano’s frame incorporating the wings and snakes of Mercury’s caduceus, the emblem of the medical profession.

Pistrucci Cameo of Flora, set into a ring

Pistrucci carved this for Angelo Bonelli. This was later bought by the cameo collector Richard Payne Knight, who was told, by Bonelli, that this was an ancient greek cameo. Later Knight showed this cameo to Pistrucci and refused to accept his explanation of having carved it himself. Payne Knight never accepted that he had been duped and later donated the cameo to the British Museum, London.

Cameo by Benedetto Pistrucci

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