The jewellery from the casket of Maria Pia of Savoy, Queen of Portugal, produced at Castellani’s workshop

Abstract

The casket of Queen Maria Pia of Savoy, belonging to the collection of the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, contains a set of thirty-three pieces of gold jewellery in the archaeological style created by the Castellani workshop in Rome. This family of jewellers, fascinated by the ancient techniques of gold working, restored but also reproduced several antique pieces, giving rise to the emergence of the so-called ‘archaeological jewellery’, very popular in the 19th century, using characteristic techniques of antique jewellery such as granulation, filigree, micro-mosaic and engraving of stones in intaglio. The main purpose of this paper is to present the results of the analyses of the base metals used in the manufacture of the jewellery and also to identify the production techniques, such as mounting, joining and decoration, used by the Castellani workshop in making the jewellery for the casket of Queen Maria Pia of Savoy. For this purpose, portable equipment of examination and analysis was brought to the museum. The results obtained in situ show the use of standard wires and granules, as well as of three different base alloys. One element of a hairpin pair which appears to have originated from a different production is discussed.