Egyptian-Style Necklace with Scarabs

Description Archaeological jewelry decorated with ancient and modern scarabs was popular in Europe during the second half of the 19th century. The Castellani workshop was famous for its copies of ancient jewelry, and this necklace has been attributed to Giacinto Melillo, one of Alessandro Castellani's apprentices and protégés (another similar necklace in the Walters Collection, 57.1530, bears his mark on the clasp). In 1865 Melillo took over Castellani's workshop in Naples, which Henry Walters visited in 1903.

Exhibitions

• Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1979-1980.
• Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2006-2009.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1903, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1903