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Auction: 26050 - Jewellery & Objets de Vertu
Lot: 27

A VICTORIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL REVIVAL NECKLACE
CIRCA 1870-1890
Lozenge-shaped pendant decorated with a floral rosette and suspended swing drop, hanging from a Prince of Wales rope chain.
Tests as 22ct gold (pendant), 15ct gold (chain).
Stamped with an unidentified mark to the reverse, otherwise unmarked
Size/dimensions: chain 67.00cm long, pendant 3.50cm long
Gross weight: 6.70g

The pendant has been later adapted with an additional suspension loop. The piece shows light surface wear consistent with age. The clasp is functioning correctly, and the item is offered in very good condition.


The Etruscan Revival in Victorian Jewellery

The Etruscan Revival was one of the most influential and enduring stylistic movements in nineteenth-century jewellery design, emerging from a broader Victorian fascination with the ancient world. Its origins lie in a series of remarkable archaeological discoveries in central Italy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, particularly the excavation of richly furnished Etruscan tombs at Cerveteri, Vulci, Chiusi, Orvieto, and Tarquinia. These finds revealed gold ornaments of extraordinary technical sophistication, characterised by intricate granulation, fine wirework, and highly refined surface decoration.



Interest in these discoveries intensified during the 1840s and 1850s, as advances in travel, scholarship, and museum collecting brought the art of antiquity to a wider European audience. The opening of major archaeological collections and the publication of illustrated antiquarian studies fuelled a growing appetite among collectors and jewellers for designs inspired by ancient sources. This enthusiasm was further encouraged by the rise of the “archaeological style,” in which Greek, Etruscan, and Egyptian motifs were freely interpreted and combined in contemporary jewellery.



The pioneering force behind the revival of authentic classical goldsmithing was the Roman workshop of Fortunato Pio Castellani (1794-1865), later continued by his sons Alessandro and Augusto. Unlike earlier revivalist jewellers, the Castellani family sought not merely to imitate ancient forms, but to rediscover and reconstruct historic techniques themselves. Their research into Etruscan granulation (minute gold spheres fused to a gold surface without visible solder) produced results of exceptional refinement and established a new benchmark for archaeological jewellery. Their creations, often inspired by artefacts from the Regolini-Galassi tomb and the Campana collection, became highly sought after by international collectors and visiting aristocracy.



Characteristic features of Etruscan Revival jewellery include the use of elaborate granulation, twisted wirework, cannetille ornament, applied rosettes, beaded borders, amphora and amphora-derived motifs, and stylised geometric patterns drawn from classical prototypes. High-carat gold was frequently employed to replicate the rich surface quality of ancient originals, while gemstones were typically used sparingly, serving as subtle accents rather than dominant features. The overall effect is one of sculptural richness, where texture, form, and craftsmanship take precedence over ostentation.



The influence of the movement extended beyond Rome to Paris, Naples, and London, where jewellers such as Jules Wiese, Eugène Fontenay, Carlo Giuliano, Robert Phillips, and John Brogden adapted archaeological motifs for an increasingly fashionable clientele. At its height in the 1860s, Etruscan Revival jewellery was widely admired by the European aristocracy and cultivated middle classes alike, and was frequently exhibited at major international exhibitions, including London in 1862.


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Estimate
£900 to £1,200

Starting price
£700