Museum of Fine Arts Receives Gift of Cagnetti Pendant

Saturday, 03 May 2008 22:58

Boston, MA -- The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has received a gift from an anonymous donor, of a pendant by Italian jeweler Andrea Cagnetti. Well-known in Europe for his stunning execution of the ancient goldsmithing technique of granulation, Cagnetti’s work is just starting to be known in the United States. Cagnetti has had his work shown in many European exhibitions including at galleries in Holland, Italy, Germany. He has made numerous appearances on European television and in Middle Eastern countries. Most recently his jewelry was featured in "Adornment, The Magazine of Jewelry & Related Arts" published by The Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts, LLC.

The 22-karat gold pendant, named “Chort”, takes the form of an eight-arm cross with a central medallion featuring an image of the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei). Using a technique developed by the ancient Etruscans (7th-6th  century B.C.), the image is made of tiny gold balls (granulation) set against a starry background which is also made of small balls. Twisted wires radiate from the medallion while the eight arms of the cross are made of gold sheet with a surface decorated with wires and granulation. Two borings in the arms next to the central vertical element have sheet metal bails and are points of attachment for a chain or ribbon. On the right bail, there are the marks 900 [22kt] within a cartouche and 72 VT [artist’s registry number] within a cartouche.

Andrea Cagnetti (1967 - ) was born in Corchiano, a small town between Roma and Viterbo in central Italy. After receiving his diploma at the Ronciglione State  Secondary School, he moved to Rome where he worked for eight years as a graphic artist at an advertising agency. Always passionately fond of art and archaeology, during those years he also devoted himself to in-depth study of texts and documents regarding the goldsmith's art in ancient times.

Little by little he began to conceive experimental solutions in accordance with  theoretical learning in the field of archaeology and metallurgy, with the aim of verifying the hypotheses formulated up until then concerning ancient techniques of working gold.

In 1994, he returned to Corchiano to devote his energies to jewelry-making setting up his own workshop. Following innumerable attempts carefully conducted on the basis of the most erudite studies, Cagnetti began blazing new trails in research, taking a strictly personal technical and theoretical approach. Under the name AKELO he created a series of ornaments and boxes skillfully decorated with granulation and fine wirework. Most of the adornments draw inspiration from the historical past, while others incorporate actual antiquities into the overall design.

Yvonne Markowitz, Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston said about the acquisition of the Cagnetti pendant: "The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is truly pleased to have a piece of Cagnetti's jewelry amongst its permanent holdings. The Museum has an encyclopedic jewelry collection that includes exceptional examples of Etruscan and Greek gold work. Andrea Cagnetti's work illustrates the influence of ancient metalwork on contemporary artists who not only master the techniques but sensitively reinterpret earlier motifs."

Cagnetti and a colleague, Paolo D’Ambrosio are currently researching material for a book addressing the social and economic conditions of ancient cultures that are known to have developed highly-technical manufactured jewelry. The book will attempt to clarify how the historical context and the technical expertise impacted on the artistic expression of those populations.

About Akelo - Andrea Cagnetti production and activity please visit the website www.akelo.it or contact directly the artist by mail at the address  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it