Archaeological-revival gold and shell cameo brooch, Castellani, circa 1850

The cameo in this brooch can possibly be attributed to Saulini, a family of master carvers who established a workshop in Rome in 1836.  A similar Medusa cameo, signed T. Saulini F., probably for Tommaso Saulini, is found in an archeological style bracelet in the British Museum, see the catalogue The Art of the Jeweller, A Catalogue of the Hull Grundy Gift, Vol. I, p. 137, no. 913 and Vol. II,  p. 228, no. 913. 

A similar shell cameo of Medusa can be found in Nineteenth Century Cameos, Michele Rowan, p. 108, pl. 98, bottom left. The cameo is carved in high relief, said to be after an ancient gem signed 'Socsocle' illustrated in Stosch's Gemmae Antiquae Caelatae, pl. LXV.

Another brooch by Castellani with a similar Medusa cameo can be found in Cameos Old & New, Anna M. Miller, p. 164, fig. 7-1.

Tommaso Saulini (1793-1864) was a renowned specialist in portraiture, both in hardstone and shell who produced impressive, bold and sculptural engravings from his workshop in Via del Babuino in Rome. His son Luigi (1819-1883) continued the family tradition and in the 1880s was in London where he engraved the portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and won a medal at the 1862 International Exhibition in London. 

A substantial number of shell cameos with mythological scenes or subjects inspired by Thorwaldsen's sculptures, signed SAULINI F. or simply SAULINI are known and are usually described as 'Saulini workshop', probably being the work of workshop assistants.