Antique Gold Brooch With Lovely Cameo, Italy c. 1870

Guardian Angel

Antique Gold Brooch With Lovely Cameo, Italy c. 1870

€ 1,190.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

Join us on a journey to Rome, the Eternal City. Here, in the two-thousand-year-old metropolis on the Tiber, a completely new fashion in jewellery emerged around the mid-19th century. Goldsmiths such as the masters of the Castellani family created – for the first time in modern history – pieces in the style of Antiquity, inspired by precious items from Etruscan tombs and Roman prototypes, making the jewellery and beauty of Antiquity tangible for the women of the time. This jewellery, in the so-called Archaeological Style, was highly successful. Referencing their own great history, it attracted considerable interest. Like Germany, Italy had only become a unified nation in the 19th century. Jewellery in these distinctly Italian forms (both modern and previously unseen) simultaneously displayed the nation’s own history and rich cultural tradition, of which its owners were heirs. An exceptionally well-preserved, superbly executed, and typically designed piece of this style is presented here. It is a brooch made of high-carat gold, featuring a particularly sculpturally carved shell cameo. The broad frame carries elaborate ornamentation modelled on antique examples, typical of the style: we see a series of chains and twisted cords, giving the frame a beautiful play of light and shadow. The cameo depicts an angel, a putto with small wings. The carving rises beyond the relief and resembles more a three-dimensional sculpture. The white of the figure curves over the brown background, and the angel’s head is almost fully sculpted in the round. Viewed from the left and right, it offers detailed, varied perspectives while remaining delicate and charming in its youthful form. 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 scarcely exist without the other. Evidently, this fusion remained so vivid in the 19th century that fashionable ladies – and visitors to the city – perceived it as typical of Rome and were keen to acquire jewellery featuring these motifs. The brooch is in excellent condition and appears to have been consistently well cared for. All forms are so crisp that it is hard to believe this piece was executed by hand. It was created around 1870.

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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.

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Size & Details

Guardian Angel

€ 1,190.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

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You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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Guardian Angel

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