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Brooch: M.26-1984

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Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Castellani family

Entities

Categories

Description

Gold, cast and chased in the shape of a ring with a stylised ram's head with ornate twisted horns, a small vase suspended inside the ring from its collar; pin fastening across the back.

Notes

History note: Unknown before donor

Legal notes

Given by Mrs J. Hull Grundy

Measurements and weight

Height: 3.3 cm
Width: 3.1 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1984-03-12) by Hull Grundy, J., Mrs

Dating

19th Century, third quarter
Circa 1860 CE - 1870 CE

Note

Founded in Rome, with subsequent branches in Paris and London, the Castellani family was instrumental in popularising the fashion for historicist jewellery and its work was the most highly-praised of the mid-nineteenth century. Their unique access to the finds of Italian state-sponsored archaeological digs, allowed them to collect and directly copy genuine ancient jewellery, especially that from the Etruscan civilisation (800-264 BC). Jewellery historian Charlotte Gere has noted similar, although slightly larger, ram's head brooches depicted in two contemporary paintings: Paul Baudry, 'Madeleine Brohan' (1860) in Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and George Frederick Watts, 'Hon. Isabella Dundas, wife of John Charles Ramsden' (1859) at Muncaster Castle.

School or Style

Archaeological Style

Materials used in production

Gold

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.26-1984
Primary reference Number: 119042

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 25 March 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Brooch" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/119042 Accessed: 2025-12-05 08:46:40

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/119042 |title=Brooch |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 08:46:40|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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