Charity cameo brooch

A rare onyx cameo of Charity with her three children, in high relief, within a frame by Castellani of twisted gold wire and granulation accented by 16 round cabochon cut sapphires. The cameo, is signed “G.A. Girardet” on the chalcedony background below the white relief for Giorgio Antonio Girardet (1829-1892). The frame bears the maker’s marks of the Roman firm of jewelers Castellani at the back and on the white rocky-ground. This unusual double identification is known only for a few works by Girardet.

weight: 45 grams
dimensions brooch: 4.7 x 3.9 x 1.0 cm.
dimensions cameo: 3.2 x 2.5 x 1.5cm.
condition: two small damages to arms.

Literature: Lucia Pirzio Biroli Stefanelli, “Jewels with cameos and intaglios : the Castellani and Roman gem carvers”, in Susan Weber Soros & Stefani Walker, Castellani and Italian Archaeological Jewelry, New York 2004, pp. 102-127.