- 58
Byzantine-revival gold, micromosaic and enamel cross pendant, Castellani, before 1858
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
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Description
- Castellani
The center decorated en grisaille with a micromosaic depicting the Chi-Rho symbol flanked by the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, signifying 'Jesus Christ, the beginning and the end,' within a circular border of black and white cloisonné enamel patterned in a stylized foliate motif, the arms of the cross similarly enameled in a geometric design, signed with interlaced C's.
Provenance
Sotheby's London, June 18, 1992, lot 24.
Count Vassili Dimitrievitch Olsoufieff (1796-1858) thence by direct descent to his great-great-granddaughter, Countess Schouvaloff.
Exhibited
Castellani and Italian Archaeological Jewelry, The Bard Graduate Center, New York, November 2004-February 2005, p. 161, fig. 6-17. Also exhibited at Somerset House, London, May -September 2005 and Villa Giulia, Rome, November 2005-February 2006.
Catalogue Note
After the discovery of the Basilica of St. Alexander as well as other Basilicas in the Catacombs of Rome, Castellani was inspired to turn to Christian art as design source for his jewelry. With the assistance of Count Vassili Dimitrievitch Olsoufieff, an expert in Greco-Oriental art and his friend Michelangelo Caetani, Castellani began to reproduce some of the best of the ancient mosaics in miniature to include in his jewelry. See the catalogue Castellani and Italian Archaeological Jewelry, the Bard Graduate Center, p. 157.