Codognato - Assouline Coffee Table Book

In the magical city of Venice, Casa Codognato was founded in 1866 by Simeone Codognato, in a bijou boutique just steps from the Piazza San Marco. As a dealer of art and antiquities, Simeone quickly established a signature aesthetic, conceiving the memento mori designs that have become immensely popular. The founder’s son, the first Attilio Codognato, introduced another important element: During a time of significant Etruscan archaeological discoveries, he incorporated ancient intaglios and cameos into the house’s jewels and objects. Codognato became one of the most original jewelers in Europe and a required stop for connoisseurs such as Gabrielle Chanel, Jean Cocteau and Diana Vreeland. In the glamorous years when Venice was the site of legendary society balls, Codognato jewels became a must-have for the jet set, including Elizabeth Taylor, Maria Callas, Jacqueline Kennedy and Lee Radziwill. Since 1958 the house has been run by Attilio Codognato, the great-grandson of the founder, who has perpetuated the brand’s creative evolutions, drawing on influences from the Byzantine and Roman empires to the Renaissance. Today Codognato remains a distinguished island of refinement, an atmospheric cabinet of curiosities. Collectors of Codognato are some of the most sophisticated aesthetes around the globe, with aficionados from the worlds of art, entertainment and fashion, from Larry Gagosian to Cindy Sherman, Elton John to Nicole Kidman, Ralph Rucci to Maria Grazia Chiuri. This luxurious oversize volume showcases Codognato’s singular baroque jewels alongside evocative images of the ethereal city of Venice, an eternal source of inspiration for poets and artists for centuries. About the authors: William Middleton is a journalist and editor based in Paris. He has been the fashion features director for Harper’s Bazaar and the Paris bureau chief for Fairchild Publications, overseeing W magazine and Women’s Wear Daily . He has written for The New York Times , Vogue , House & Garde Read more