Giovanni Vendramini, engraver, went to London from his native Italy at the age of nineteen, where he honed his skills as a draughtsman under Francesco Bartolozzi. In 1805 he went to Russia with his English wife; the Emperor was so taken by him that he refused him permission to leave the country. Assisted by the Italian ambassador, he fled in disguise after smashing one of the Emperor’s cameos while engraving a plate from it. Having returned to England he found ample employment engraving popular pictures.