Chamberlain necklace. Tanfani & Bertarelli

Chamberlain necklace. Tanfani & Bertarelli
Cameriere Segreto del Papa Pio XX. Rome ca. 1910
Gilt silver and enamel.
In its original case.
Slight flaws.
Measurements: 56 cm (necklace length); 24 x 24 x 3 cm (case).

This unique pontifical necklace, made around 1910 by the prestigious firm Tanfani & Bertarelli -official goldsmiths of the Vatican since 1905-, is a ceremonial piece as well as a visual compendium of the spiritual and protocol power of the Holy See.

The central pendant, made of gilded silver, represents the crossed keys of St. Peter crowned by the papal mitre. This traditional emblem of the papacy symbolizes the authority conferred on St. Peter and his successors: the golden key represents heavenly power, while the silver key alludes to earthly power. Their crossed arrangement expresses the inseparable union between the two spheres under the pontiff's mandate. The mitre, placed above them, reaffirms the spiritual supremacy of the Pope as Vicar of Christ.

The chain, also gilded, incorporates enameled medallions set with a monogram whose meaning could be linked to the title or function of the chamberlain. In the context of the papal court, the Cameriere Segreto (Secret Chamberlain) was a member of the nobility or high ecclesiastical hierarchy in charge of direct service to the Pope, which gives this decoration a connotation of papal intimacy and trust.

Tanfani and Bertarelli emerged from the merger of two older companies, A. Tanfani & Figli of Rome and Fratelli Bertarelli of Milan. This company was the official manufacturer of Vatican orders and decorations from 1905 onward. There are also some examples of pre-1905 cavalry decorations bearing the markings "A. Tanfani" or "Tanfani." The company name was changed after 1967 to Ditta Augusto Casazza following the death of the original owners, and they remain the modern supplier to the Supreme Order of Christ, the Order of the Golden Militia, the Order of Pius IX, the Order of St. Gregory the Great and the Order of St. Sylvester.