Rago Auctions

Castellani was founded in 1814 in Rome by Fortunato Pio Castellani, a pioneer of archaeological revival jewelry. His foray into this particular style began in 1926 when he met Michelangelo Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta, a favorite of high society and a politician, writer, artist, ancient art connoisseur, scientist and Anglophile. It is thought that he advised Fortunato to study ancient jewelry and, by the late 1820s to early 1830s, Castellani was reviving ancient Etruscan styles of jewelry making.

Castellani derived inspiration from Etruscan, ancient Roman, Byzantine, and Medieval styles and reinterpreted both ancient techniques as well as motifs. In addition to granulation, wire work, and other older techniques, his firm was known for incorporating ancient, medieval, and modern cameos, intaglios, and Egyptian scarabs into their creations. Castellani is also believed to be the first firm to place micro-mosaics into archaeological-style frames. His jewelry was exhibited widely, including international exhibitions in Florence (1861) and London (1862) where the firm was awarded medals for excellence in design and artisanship.

The 19th century saw many exciting and astounding archaeological discoveries which only served to increase the public’s desire for archaeological revival jewelry. At the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris, nearly all of the jewelers present featured archaeological-style jewels in their offerings. Exquisitely crafted and designed, Castellani’s jewelry was enormously popular well into the 1870s and is still considered to be one of the purest expressions of the archaeological revival style.