11040 La cieca di Sorrento

A most interesting story as I do love antique jewelry and the story behind every piece. My interpretation is that your great-great-grandmother and your zia were referring not to the movie but to the novel, written in 1852 which, in turn, inspired the movie. And the dates would also coincide. Here you have the information:

[url=http://associazioni.comune.firenze.it/archetipo/laciecadisorrento.htm]LA CIECA DI SORRENTO[/url]

It is possible that some pieces of jewelry depicting the blind young lady were specially created at the time. This type of inspiration is typical of the romantic style of jewelry.
I would bet that I am on the right track there. Let me know what you think.

Lovely story J+C. I typed in "Donna cieca di Sorrento" Slightly different results. Maybe you will find some information there. Fingers crossed.

How very interesting!! I never thought to see if there was a book related to the film and from your link Gala it would seem there is - written by Francesco Mastriani! The date the book was written (1852) also seems to fit in well with my estimated age of the pendant.

Why is this interesting? Because my great great grandmothers sister (does that make her my great great great great aunt - or is that too many greats?) was married to a "Francesco Mastriani" - I wonder if it is the same one?

If this leads anywhere sensible I may just tell you how ironic it is that the novel is about stolen jewels! :wideeyed:

More research required ladies - lets get busy! :yes:

Here is a very interesting article on Francesco Mastriani and his work:

[url=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Mastriani]Francesco Mastriani - Wikipedia[/url]

There is a shorter English version if someone prefers it doing a quick search through Google. In the Italian version, it says that he was married to a cousin, Concetta Mastriani. Does the name ring a bell? The dates coincide with those of the pendant and your great-great grandmother. And Nielo's story of the bracelet is really spooky. A pity that it has been stolen!

Yes, I read that article on Wiki after doing a bit of Googling - I have no idea if we had a Concetta in the family - or if indeed there is any blood connection to the Mastriani family, but it does seem a bit of a coincidence, doesn't it?

Anyway, what's even more spooky is that amongst mammas higgledy piggledy Italian book collection that no one ever bothers to read except mamma when she's feeling nostalgic - is an old tattered copy of "I Vermi" - Studi storici su le classi pericolose in Napoli!

I had no idea it was also written by Francesco Mastriani or at least I've never paid any attention to it and only know it's there because I tend to secretly rummage through the bookcase every now and again looking for something interesting as it's where mamma hides all her documenti segreto!

I'll steal the book next time I'm at mammas and perhaps with a bit of luck it will be a first edition and maybe even signed! Who knows, we could be rich!

Shhh - don't tell mamma! :laughs:

Well JC if you have been wondering what to treat yourself to for Christmas or what to hint to a special person to buy for you, I have spotted just the thing.
Costs a bit though but really rather nice. I would bid myself if the last digit was missing but house renovations have put a stop to all that for a while.

Has to be the same thing don't you think?

[url=http://cgi.ebay.it/Arte-Antiquariato-e-Modernariato___8-900-DEA-BENDATA-LIBERTY-GUALDO-TADINO-LUSTRO-SIGLATA_W0QQitemZ170281249179QQddnZArteQ2cQ20AntiquariatoQ20eQ20ModernariatoQQddiZ7395QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPorcellana_e_Ceramica?hash=item170281249179&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318]8/900 DEA BENDATA LIBERTY GUALDO TADINO LUSTRO SIGLATA su eBay.it Altra Porcellana e Ceramica, Porcellana e Ceramica, Arte e Antiquariato[/url]

Incredible coincidences! Is it similar to the pendant or the charm?

This is all completely fascinating, and I don't want to be a wet blanket, but I do find it difficult to believe that a character from an 1850s novel would be celebrated with a pendant, or with a figurine - though the figurine being called Bea could be Beatrice, a protagonist in the novel, equally could just mean blessed.

Clearly Mastriani was quite an important writer in the very new genre of 'crime stories', and a romantic socialist (he was a contemporary of Emile Zola) at an appropriate time (Garibaldi etc), and was widely read - (by the way he also wrote a story about the camorra in Naples, "Le ombre. Lavoro e miseria (1868)", sort of what goes around comes around!) but marketing trinkets based on 'un giallo'? Did it really happen?

I'd be much more content if someone could trawl up a 'blind' female saint - (preferably someone who had done something noble like deciding to enter 'a blind order' by covering her eyes with somethng golden) to explain the pendant, charm bracelet character, and figurine.

If this is your interpretation, then it could well be St Lucia herself, as, according to tradition, she had her eyes gouged during her martyrdom (and apparently she was able to see....) This is the reason why she is the patron saint for blind people....
Perhaps the novel was very popular at the time and the figurines, pendants, etc. were a reflection of how fashionable it was. There are quite a few similar examples using Marguerite Gauthier as a model because of the novel by A. Dumas and Verdi's "Traviata".... Nowadays, the lady is hardly known....

Well that is interesting historical info Gala (about Marguerite Gauthier). I suppose, thinking about it further, today we market stuff based on Disney characters, or the Simpsons, or Harry Potter - so if we can do it with chewing gum, how far have we fallen from doing it rather more elegantly with figurines or jewellery!

(I can't find any representations of Santa Lucia with a blindfold. However, a rather nice little tradition on her Saint's day is to eat bread rolls made in the form of 'eyes' which are considered to protect you from eye diseases!)

As you said, Charles, perhaps in a couple of hundred years one of those horrible figurines of the Simpsons may be considered a work of art..... and nobody will really know what they are all about.....

Actually guys the figurine he has called Dea Bendata not Bea which as you know means blindfolded goddess and is probably the sellers way of making the item seem more alluring as he knows nothing about it's origins. :bigergrin:
Seeing as she is seated on a book does make the case strong for her being the heroine from Mastriani's novel.

JC, she would be your great-great aunt, you must be able to find out somehow if there is a connection. I've done my Italian family tree back to the 1500's and to date have just over 21,000 entries. :eeeek:

Spoke with mamma this evening - the conversation went something like this.

"Do we have any famous writers in our family mamma?"
"Don't be stupid"
"Mamma, do you know who the blind lady of Sorrento is?"
"Don't be stupid"
"Did zia ever tell you how she got that piece of jewellery?
"Don't be stupid"
"But mamma, I'm only asking because it's family history and I want to know"
"Don't lie to me - I bet you've been writing rubbish on that stupid internet thing again haven't you?"
"What stupid internet thing mamma?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"No mamma"
"Good, now it's late, so don't be stupid - turn the computer off and go to bed"

I swear she is a witch - how does she know I write rubbish? :bigergrin:

Typical mamma! My own mother used to sound the same and she knew "everything". It was as if you still were a 5 year old. I have promised my daughters that I will not follow the example.... or they will have my blessing to put me in a retirement home. So I have to watch myself.....

[quote=juliancoll;104144].............how does she know I write rubbish? :bigergrin:[/quote]

she probably read [some of] your postings.

.

Mothers are very intuitive aren't they.
Bunch

[quote=alan h;104166]she probably read [some of] your postings.
[/quote]

"Don't be stupid" Alan - [I]she[/I] has no idea I've had a sex change! :bigergrin:

Anyway, the plot thickens, mamma has threatened to get all the old family documents out tomorrow in honour of my pending visit. I've often told her I prefer the red carpet, but she never listens to a single word I say.

Ah well, at least there'll be a decent ragu for lunch. :yes:

Get the "I Vermi" edition before she decides that it is all rubbish and she burns it. My mother used to do that kind of things.....

I Vermi - was exactly that - tattered, torn, musty and with more than half of the pages hanging on by a thread. Certainly no first edition as it was reprinted in 1953 - along with another 9 or 10 volumes mamma keeps in the garage and in similar condition.

Apparently, we do have a Concetta in the family, but she who must be obeyed can not remember who married who or when and thinks this "Concetta" was the daughter of one of her uncles - which puts the time line way out by at least seventy years. Mamma denies all knowledge of ever hearing of anyone called Francesco Mastriani - even though there is a pile of his books in the garage and one on the bookshelf!

Mamma says the blind Lady of Sorrento is a true story - although she cant remember what the story is - she then lost all interest and told me stir the sauce before it stuck to the bottom of the pan while she drained the pasta.

Oh well, never mind - lunch was good! :bigergrin:

It is more than a mere coincidence that she is keeping all those books by Francesco Mastriani. I think that it would be interesting to do a genealogical search although you are going to have quite a few problems. The Registrar for Births was not opened before the 1870's in Italy (I think the starting date is 1876). Before that date you can only get Baptism certificates.... if you can find them as many church archives in Italy have been destroyed through war, fires, etc.
So it would be quite a difficult search.
As you said, at least you had a nice lunch....