Castellani

The brooch offered here is modelled after the 13th century French Founder's Jewel given to New College Oxford by William Wykeham in 1404. Alessandro Castellani had sold an important collection of antiquities to the University in 1875 and would have been familiar with the Founder’s jewel. Although the Castellani firm was internationally acclaimed for their repertoire of archaeological revival jewels, Alessandro expanded their offerings to include several examples of jewels of Medieval and Renaissance inspiration. A version of this brooch is in the permanent collection of the Villa Giulia Museum in Rome, and three other examples are illustrated in Castellani & Giuliano, Revivalist Jewellers of the 19^th Century, by Geoffrey Munn, pp. 122-123, color plates 137-138. The architectural arches which form the letter “M” are bejeweled with colored stones and pearls, however note that the figures of the Annunciation are missing from the version offered here.