Attributed to Benedetto Pistrucci

Benedetto Pistrucci (1783 – 1855) was a distinguished Italian gem and coin engraver, a medallist for the Pope and later Chief-medallist at the Royal Mint in London. Amongst his works of art, he is well-known for the St. George & the Dragon design used on British gold sovereigns and crowns since the Great Recoinage of 1816. Renowned for the Waterloo Medal, which took over 30 years to complete in 1850, he produced extraordinary examples of fine intaglios depicting mythological subjects and historical personalities such as Emperor Napoleon.

A cameo of a maenad by Benedetto Pistrucci housed at the Staatliche Münzsammlung, Munich, has several affinities with the present cameo. Especially similar are the upturned pose, hair, and ornamentation.