Demon Paperknife
Demon Paperknife
19th century ebony paperknife by Michelangelo Caetani(1804-1882) for Castellani Workshops. Rome, Italy. c 1863. This unique piece is thought to be carved by Caetani himself in the style of a winged devil or demon with arms crossed and standing upon his tail.
23 cm long.
In 1926 famed Italian, Goldsmith Fortunato Pio Castellani(1794-1865) met artist and polymath Michelangelo Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta and Prince of Teano(1804-1882) and invited him to design for the workshop in Rome. Caetani inspired Castellani to create pieces based on ancient jewelry in the archaeological excavations of the time.
What developed over the next 30 years was not only a successful business partnership but a prolific creative endeavor that would change jewelry history. Alongside the popular Revival jewelry, sold in the shop were fantastic creations by Caetani, including paper, knives of wood(thought to be carved by himself), ivory, silver and bronze, resembling winged angels and devils. There were even more fanciful versions in gold and enamel, set with precious gemstones. As a scholar of Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy, Caetani‘s paper knives seem to recall the poetic demons, Minos and Malaconda in the circles of the Inferno.