The Castellani Jewelry Workshop Under the Lens of Archival Material

Di Castro, Denise

Item

The Castellani Jewelry Workshop Under the Lens of Archival Material

Di Castro, Denise

Abstract

Three generations of Castellani goldsmiths were more than simple jewelers. They wereinventors, historians, antiquarians, and studied they the history, materials and techniques ofancient gold craftsmanship. Throughout the Nineteenth century, they revived and invented goldworking techniques, diffusing the taste for revival jewelry in Italy and internationally.This thesis will explore archival documents from the State Archive of Rome and the ArchivioFranchi, to discuss specific aspects of the workshop. Among the documents is AugustoCastellani’s (1829-1914) descriptive inventory of his antiquities collection. The thesis willreveal interesting ties between his written descriptions and jewels in Neoclassical artworks.Augusto’s inventory also provides information regarding the discovery of ancient techniques,and it highlights what he looked for when describing antiquities, as a scholar, and as anopinionated antiquarian. This thesis also introduces and unpublished drawing signed by DukeMichelangelo Caetani (1804-1882) and specific payments from the Mastrino Lante dellaRovere in the State Archive of Rome, tying the Castellani to contemporary artists and noblefamilies.Finally, Appendix I will provide the reader a description of Maria Pia of Savoy’s jewelscommissions given to the Castellani by the cities of Rome and Naples for her royal wedding.Appendix II presents a complete transcription of Augusto Castellani’s descriptive inventorymentioned above of his, “Collezione Storica d’Oreficeria Italiana.” This collection, todaypartly in the state Museum of Villa Giulia, was composed in the 1860’s, and can truly beconsidered one of the greatest collections of ancient archaeological jewelry. Thousands ofobjects from Prehistory to the Middle Ages were described by Augusto himself in 517handwritten pages, making this appendix a useful tool for historians, archaeologists and arthistorians.