Head of Medusa cameo 1840–50, mount ca. 1860 Cameo by Benedetto Pistrucci Italian One of the most elegant of all Medusas, this head borrows freely from the ancient marble mask known as the Rondanini Medusa in the Glyptothek, Munich. The cameo was commissioned from Benedetto Pistrucci for the impressive sum of 200 guineas by a London dentist and collector, Samuel Cartwright, who also ordered a marble bust of himself (National Portrait Gallery, London). The wings and snakes on the cameo’s frame allude to the caduceus of Mercury, emblem of the medical profession. The existence of a silver copy of
Head of Medusa cameo 1840–50, mount ca. 1860 Cameo by Benedetto Pistrucci Italian One of the most elegant of all Medusas, this head borrows freely from the ancient marble mask known as the Rondanini Medusa in the Glyptothek, Munich. The cameo was commissioned from Benedetto Pistrucci for the impressive sum of 200 guineas by a London dentist and collector, Samuel Cartwright, who also ordered a marble bust of himself (National Portrait Gallery, London). The wings and snakes on the cameo’s frame allude to the caduceus of Mercury, emblem of the medical profession. The existence of a silver copy of the Medusa head bearing the mark of the silversmith Carlo Giuliano (sold at Sotheby’s in New York in 2006) proves that he was the author of the strikingly handsome Head of Medusa 230969
Size: 3000px × 4000px
Photo credit: © MET/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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