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Archaeological-revival gold 'millefiori' brooch, Castellani, circa 1860
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description
- Castellani
Of bombé form, decorated with a standing putto and four doves within an elaborate cluster of flower heads, the border decorated with twisted wire and beading, signed with interlaced C's.
Exhibited
Castellani and Italian Archaeological Jewelry, The Bard Graduate Center, New York, November 2004-February 2005, p. 235, fig. 9-11. Also exhibited at Somerset House, London, May -September 2005 and Villa Giulia, Rome, November 2005-February 2006.
Catalogue Note
Another example of a 'millefiori' brooch by Castellani, after a design by Michelangelo Caetani, with a serpent instead of a putto, is illustrated by Munn, Castellani and Giuliano, pl. 45. The original Caetani design, housed at the Fondazione Camillo Caetani in Rome, is illustrated in Munn (ibid) pl. 46. The design is also illustrated in the catalogue Castellani and Italian Archaeological Jewelery, The Bard Graduate Center, New York, p. 40, fig. 2-11 and p. 128, fig. 5-1.
Many versions of millefiori gold work are known, some of which feature either amorini or serpents. This theme was also popular with the revivalist jeweler Giacinto Melillo, a contemporary of Castellani.