The delicately carved strands of hair in this portrait, almost translucent against the dark slate background, demonstrate the skill of Benedetto Pistrucci, who was one of the most famous wax artists and gem engravers of the early 1800s.

Born in Rome, Pistrucci trained as a child to become a cameo cutter, then taught himself to model in wax while recovering from an injury as a teenager. He emigrated to England in 1815 and rose to fame after proving that an allegedly ancient-Greek cameo was in fact his own work. Later in his career, he designed coins for the Royal Mint.