The Model of Antiquity

Spectacular finds made during the excavation of ancient Roman cities such as Herculaneum (1738) and Pompei (1748) led in the eighteenth century to examinations of classical antiquity throughout Europe. Leading representatives of the Enlightenment, such as Voltaire (1694–1778), reintroduced values modelled on Greco-Roman antiquity. Those who could afford to do so travelled at least once in a lifetime to Italy to see with their own eyes the ancient art. Those to whom such an opportunity was denied read travel accounts by contemporaries or scholarly publications such as Geschichte der Kunst des Altertums (Dresden, 1764), later translated into English as The History of Ancient Art (Boston, 1872), by Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768).

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) exerted a formative influence on the craze for classical antiquity by staking his claim to political power squarely in the tradition of the Roman emperors, a stance clearly displayed at his coronation as emperor in 1804 with all means available. His imperial crown was set with ancient gems engraved with an iconographic scheme that underscored his status. Napoleon’s passion for ancient carved gems sparked off a fashion trend that saw demand for the miniature masterpieces sweep Europe. Originals and contemporary works were collected and incorporated in jewellery.

Rome was the centre of gemstone carving in the Napoleonic era. Copies of ancient finds were made from stones and shells while new engraved motifs and portraits were inspired by works of sculpture or paintings. At first, elements of ancient architecture shaped fashions in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Finds of ancient jewellery and publications of those finds by archaeologists soon provided goldsmiths with more profound insights into ancient styles and jewellery-making techniques.