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In 1936 the papal government invited the jeweler Fortunato Pio Castellani and his thirteen-year old son Allesandro to examine and restore extraordinary gold ornaments excavated from the Etruscan tombs in Cerveteri, Italy. Young Alessandro was particularly fascinated by the granulation he saw on several pieces. After many years of experimentation, he mastered the art of embellishing gold sheets with minute gold spheres—the technique became a hallmark of the Castellani firm. This brooch, with thousands of hand-fabricated granules, was copied from an ancient pair of earrings owned by art collector and banker Marchese Giovanni Pietro Campana. The Castellani firm had helped assemble his vast collection of ancient ornaments, but in 1857, when Campana went to prison for defrauding the state, he was forced to sell his treasures. Castellani tried to prevent the collection from leaving Italy, but in the end, negotiated the sale of the finest artifacts to Napoleon III. Before the objects left Rome for France in 1861, the firm made copies of most of the Campana jewelry. The original earrings were formally acquired by the Louvre Museum in 1862.
Brooch
Castellani (Italian, 1814–1930)
Italian
about 1858
Medium/Technique
Gold
Dimensions
Diameter x depth: 5 x 0.6 cm (1 15/16 x 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Arthur Croft—The Gardner Brewer Collection
Accession Number01.6505
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Brooches
In 1936 the papal government invited the jeweler Fortunato Pio Castellani and his thirteen-year old son Allesandro to examine and restore extraordinary gold ornaments excavated from the Etruscan tombs in Cerveteri, Italy. Young Alessandro was particularly fascinated by the granulation he saw on several pieces. After many years of experimentation, he mastered the art of embellishing gold sheets with minute gold spheres—the technique became a hallmark of the Castellani firm. This brooch, with thousands of hand-fabricated granules, was copied from an ancient pair of earrings owned by art collector and banker Marchese Giovanni Pietro Campana. The Castellani firm had helped assemble his vast collection of ancient ornaments, but in 1857, when Campana went to prison for defrauding the state, he was forced to sell his treasures. Castellani tried to prevent the collection from leaving Italy, but in the end, negotiated the sale of the finest artifacts to Napoleon III. Before the objects left Rome for France in 1861, the firm made copies of most of the Campana jewelry. The original earrings were formally acquired by the Louvre Museum in 1862.
DescriptionCircular brooch, with seven discs and bosses, six lobes of granulated gold with bordered bead work.
Marks
Soldered interlaced C monogram within a lozenge on reverse.
InscriptionsSoldered interlaced C monogram within a lozenge on reverse.
Provenance1901, Mrs. Arthur Croft (née C. A. Brewer), Boston; 1901, bequest of Mrs. Arthur Croft to the MFA. (Accession Date: July 1, 1901)