Bust of Minerva

Elena Pistrucci

ca. 1870–80 · Onyx or agate · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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.

Artist

Elena Pistrucci

Date

ca. 1870–80

Medium

Onyx or agate

Culture

probably Italian, Rome

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Milton Weil Collection, 1940