Celebrating Casa Codognato

«We will remain true to the legacy of my father, my grandfather and my great-grandfather. The inspiration of art and alchemy, the collaboration with the region’s craftsmen who create these incredible pieces, and the discretion for which we are known - all this will remain. At the same time, we are looking to the future and are delighted that Francesca Amfitheatrof has joined Codognato as head of creativity in this transition phase. She spent a lot of time with our father and met his craftsmen and we are excited to launch some new special pieces in 2024 that we believe will appeal to our clientele and at the same time introduce the world of Codognato to a new audience…» The words of Mario Codognato a few weeks after the death of his father Attilio, not only show an awareness of an important legacy to preserve, but also of cultivating it in order to pass it on, even stronger, to the next generation, the sixth. The history of the Codognato jewelry dynasty began in 1866, when a very young, 22-year-old Simeone embarked on the trade of dealer in antiques, paintings and objets d'art. He chose a strategic address for his workshop at San Marco 1295 in the heart of Venice, where shortly afterwards, he began to propose his own line of jewelry and where even today, the dazzling window display of eccentric jewelry attracts a cultured and refined international public. The following year Venice was annexed to Italy and a period of great splendor began for the former Serenissima. 1895 saw the first Biennale of Modern Art and in 1897, Attilio succeeded his father Simeone, guided by an inspiration that led him to follow the upcoming Italian Archaeological Goldsmiths. These were the years of the great archaeological finds in Etruria and of the master goldsmiths Castellani of Rome and Giuliano of Naples, pioneers of an art that drew its creative inspiration from the past. Attilio Codognato is no different. He learnt the “lesson” and created his own style that combines Byzantine, Roman and Renaissance techniques and culture, including skull earrings and rings, Moretto brooches, snake bracelets and antique cameos. 1910 was the year of official consecration: Attilio was appointed first goldsmith of St. Mark's Basilica. In 1928 he was succeeded by son Mario, and in 1958 the baton passed to his heir, Attilio, who passed away in the autumn of 2023. Although times and fashions change, the workshop at 1295 San Marco has always been the reference point and meeting place for the jet set with a tourbillon of personalities from the past and present who are regulars of this “parlor” of beauty and buyers of true masterpieces. While at the turn of the century, crowned heads from half of Europe, writers and artists, such as Eugene Boudin and Jean Cocteau, were patrons, in the 1950s Gabrielle Chanel, Jacqueline Kennedy and Liz Taylor went there and the more recent addicts include Larry Gagosian, Elton John and Maria Grazia Chiuri. This very same historical excursus of family life and creativity is retraced in the monograph that Assouline recently dedicated to the Venetian goldsmith dynasty. Serpents, cameos, skulls and all the memorabilia created in over 150 years of history are there to be admired. A reflection of the spirit that has always filled Casa Codognato and which Mario's father summed up as: «I only love extravagance. Without extravagance, beauty cannot exist.»

The monography Codognato Masterpiece, Legends Collection, published by Assouline