Posted 10 years ago
Bluboi
(103 items)
Two pendants and a cameo bracelet by Carlo Giuliano, an Italian master jeweler.
- Fabulous polished, banded agate cabochon surrounded by Russian amethyst cabochons and white and green enamel, with the signature Giuliano black and white enameled dots. A young girl's portrait and blond hair are in a compartment in the back. 18K gold. Fitted leather box -- label is faint but you can see: Giuliano, 15 Frith Street, Soho Square London. No signature.
- Bull's eye agate cabochon pendant in polychrome enamel in 18K frame set with natural pearls in original box marked C. Giuliano 115 Piccadilly London. Based on this address, the pendant was made after 1873. Signed on the enamel bale.
- A superbly carved shell cameo of a bearded gentleman in profile with a twisted gold wire border, centered on a flexible tapering bracelet of gold cylindrical links, signed C. G. in an oval, circa 1870. See page 172 Sotheby's "Castellani & Giuliano - The Judith H. Siegel Collection" catalog for a similar bracelet.
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The Sotheby's catalog for the Castellani and Giuliano auction of the Judith H. Siegel Collection says in its notes:
Carlo Giuliano (c. 1831-1895) moved to London from his native Italy in about 1860. It is now understood that he accompanied Alessandro Castellani to London with the intention of managing a branch of the latter's firm at 15 Frith Street, Soho, but at some point, Giuliano's business relationship with Castellani fell apart. Giuliano remained in London operating under his own name, selling Archaeological jewelry through the famous retailers: Emanuel, Garrard, C.F. Hancock and Roskell and Phillips. His sons Carlo and Arthur joined him in the firm.
Giuliano realized his English customers weren't ready to fully embrace Archaeological jewelry, and he shifted his workmanship to embrace a wider variety of sources including the English and French Renaissance.
The Giulianos are most famous for their Renaissance inspired jewelry decorated with polychrome enamels and set with diamonds and colored gemstones, often carved en cabochon.
His business booming, Giuliano opened his own store in 1874 at 115 Piccadilly, London, where he worked until his death in 1895.
Thanks for sharing these EXQUISITE items !!!
You are very welcome! The agates on these pendants are wonderful -- unusual colors and banding, deep cabochons.
Ooh Bluboi! Such marvels again, I'm in total love with your Holbeinesque pendants!
OMG, 3 pieces by CG! I've never even seen one in the flesh.
If the bracelet was mine I'd be obsessive about working out who the subject was. He looks vaguely familiar, but then many mid to late C19th gents had a similar look, a bit like William Morris here: http://www.artsandcraftsmuseum.org.uk/Learning/Things_to_do_and_see/William_Morris.aspx
I'm certainly not suggesting this is WM, just saying that look was "in" back in the day.
Giuliano, a true master jeweller!! every piece is a wonder.
Paul, I wish I could figure out who the bearded man is.... As you say, though, a very common look... Beautiful cameo, might be a Saulini. I have another cameo of a gentleman, also might be Saulini. They are very much "in style" with one another.
For everyone: if you want to see some amazing eye candy, look for the Sotheby's catalog "Castellani & Giuliano: The Judith H. Siegel Collection." New York, December 6, 2006. There were over 150 lots of jewelry sold by these masters and all are breath-taking! Must have been wonderful to own such a huge collection!
What a collection! I see that Geoffrey Munn, managing director of the London firm Wartski, assisted with the acquisition of every piece in the collection. (Geoffrey Munn is also rather well known as the one of jewellery experts on UK Antiques Roadshow).
Every now and then, I wonder what is the cost of that "assistance" ....
Hi Bluboi, i just searched: 'Sotheby's catalog "Castellani & Giuliano: The Judith H. Siegel Collection." New York, December 6, 2006" - and came up with lots of links but none of them have any photos. Just the items. Do you no of a link with the photos still there?
Kindest rgds
James :)
know :)
No link that I know of. The auction houses make a bundle of $$ selling these items. There are catalog companies which sell them too. I looked through it to see if I could find anything similar to your bracelet and didn't see any examples.
Overwhelming not to pay for the "ordinary" collector