First Class Gold Brooch with Cameo of Shell, Around 1870

Come with us on a journey to Rome, to the Eternal City. Here, in the two thousand year old metropolis on the Tiber, a whole new fashion in the field of jewellery emerged in the middle of the 19th century. Goldsmiths such as the masters of the Castellani family created here - for the first time in the history of modern times - objects in the style of antiquity, based on precious pieces from Etruscan tombs and Roman models, which thus made the jewellery and beauty of antiquity very tangible for the world of women. This jewellery in the so-called Archaeological style was a great success. As a reference to its own great history, it attracted great interest. Like Germany, Italy had only grown together into a unified nation state in the 19th century. Jewellery in these so particularly Italian forms (at the same time modern and never seen before) showed there at the same time the own history and large cultural tradition, whose inheritance one was. A particularly well preserved, first class and in a very typical way designed piece of jewellery of this style is presented here. It is a brooch made of high-carat gold with a particularly vividly cut shell cameo. The wide frame bears rich ornamentation based on antique models, typical of this style: we see a succession of granulated circles, polished rods and twisted cords that give the frame its beautiful play of light and shade. The cameo shows an angel, a putto, carrying a small plaque with the inscription "ROMA". The carving leaves the plane of relief and is many more like a plastic sculpture. The white of the depiction arches over the brown ground and the angel's head is almost free-plastic. From left and right he offers different, detailed views and yet is delicate and beautiful in his childlike forms. This unique Roman combination of antiquity and Christianity is typical of Archaeological style jewellery from Rome. Here, in the city of emperors and popes, one could hardly exist without the other. And apparently this connection was still so vivid in the 19th century that the gallant ladies or the visitors of the city felt just this connection as typical for Rome and therefore liked to acquire jewellery with these motifs. The brooch is very well preserved and was obviously always kept in honor. All the shapes are so clear that it is hard to believe that this piece was also made by hand. It was created in the years around 1870. On the exemplary works of the Castellani and on dating, see e.g. Susan Weber Soros/Stefani Walker (eds.): Castallani and Italian Archaeological Jewelry, New Haven/London 2004, e.g. pp. 16ff, also David Bennet and Daniela Mascetti: Understanding Jewellery, Woodbridge 2010, pp. 187f.

Stima:€2,490

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