Bust of Minerva
Benedetto Pistrucci’s daughters lived in Rome after his death, and it was probably there that Elena carved this cameo, basing it directly on her father’s wax-on-slate model (Museo di Roma), which he had patterned (including the ram’s head on the helmet) after an ancient statue, the Giustiniani Minerva (Vatican Museums). Elena made the goddess’s features abstractly rigid, yet the white stratum, which contrasts agreeably with the deep green ground, evokes the essence of marble.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bust of Minerva
- Artist: Elena Pistrucci (British, 1822–1886)
- Date: ca. 1870–80
- Culture: probably Italian, Rome
- Medium: Onyx or agate
- Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 2 1/4 × 1 5/8 in. (5.7 × 4.1 cm)
- Classification: Lapidary Work-Gems
- Credit Line: The Milton Weil Collection, 1940
- Object Number: 40.20.50
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Elena Pistrucci (British, 1822–1886)
19th century
Antonio Canova (Italian, Possagno 1757–1822 Venice)
1804–6
Antonio Canova (Italian, Possagno 1757–1822 Venice) , and his studio
1819–24
Luigi Saulini (Italian, 1819–1883)
mid-19th century
Giuseppe Girometti (Italian, Rome 1780–1851 Rome)
ca. 1815–25
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