Giacinto Melillo; tea set, late 19th century.

Giacinto Melillo (1846-1915); tea set, late 19th century.
Silver
Features punches: "Melillo / Gall. Vittoria."
Measurements: 19,5 cm (coffee pot height); 11,5 cm (milk pot height); 10 cm (sugar bowl height).

Silver tea set realized by the Neapolitan goldsmith Giacinto Melillo; it includes a teapot, a milk pot and a sugar bowl with lid. The three pieces have tripod legs base topped by mascarons, while the reservoir is finely fined by an abundant network of feathers or scales. The handles end in grotesque masks; on the other hand, the lids have tritons in the manner of a spit.

Giacinto Melillo was the manager of Castellani's workshop from 1865 and is credited with making many of his most outstanding pieces of jewelry. By 1885, Melillo established his own independent business in Naples, creating classical revivalist pieces.