LATE 19TH/EARLY 20TH CENTURY, ATTRIBUTED TO CASTELLANI

The unearthing of ancient sites in and around Rome during the mid 19th century paved the way for a new wave in fashion: Italian Archaeological Jewelry. Etruscan gold ornaments such as fibulae (brooches for gathering robes) and ornate armillas (bracelets worn on the upper arm) influenced important jewelers of the day, most notably Fortunato Pio Castellani. This school championed design above the intrinsic value of the stones; a brilliant yellow gold mesh thread suspending a series of white enamel amphorae with granulation offering texture to its surface for example. Or as lot 220 presents here, a Bacchic theme is expressed in a woven yellow gold chain decorated with alternating grapevine leaves and purple glass grape bunches.