A new book, titled Memento Vivere, is shining a spotlight on the late Codognato’s fabulous body of work and the legacy he left behind after his passing in 2023. Today, that legacy rests in the hands of his heirs: son Mario, an art curator with a prestigious international résumé, and daughter Cristina, who runs a psychotherapy practice in London. Together, they’re steering the family heritage forward. A radical change of course? Absolutely not. If anything, the plan is to stay the course, only with renewed conviction.

Attilio Codognato’s Venitian palazzo.

Photo: Courtesy of Codognato

“Neither of us ever imagined we’d one day take care of it—our lives and careers were elsewhere. But as our father grew older, we began helping him, even with relocating the store, and gradually stepped into a world we had long admired from afar. Soon we realized it would be a shame to let this story end,” said Mario Codognato, speaking from the piano nobile of the Venetian palazzo his father called home, surrounded by a sensational art collection spanning Old Masters, Surrealists, Warhols, Twomblys, Rauschenbergs, and a plethora of Duchamps, his favorite artist, all of which he insatiably collected. “Meeting the artisans, true artists in their own right, who had worked with our father for generations made us understand how precious this legacy was. We are also guided by his vast archive, which continues to inspire us,” chimed Cristina. The artisans know how to revive old designs and create new ones in the spirit their father believed in: every jewel must be unique, an exquisite variation on a theme. “We follow the same principle, enriching the story with pieces that carry history, like the antique cameos we recently acquired and turned into necklaces,” they remarked. Production remains deliberately small: one-of-a-kind creations, available only in the Venice store. “Our father never yielded to the temptation of expanding elsewhere, and neither will we.” At Codognato, the notion of retail world domination isn’t welcomed, and the ubiquitous role of creative director would be almost redundant—the archive, the artisans, and a wicked spark of macabre genius have been doing a brilliant job for generations.

Indeed, the house of Codognato has been dazzling Venice and the international set since 1866, when 22-year-old Simeone Codognato opened an antiquarian shop just steps from St. Mark’s Square. Catering to aristocratic grand tour travelers, he soon started crafting jewelry that blended Gothic, Byzantine, and Renaissance influences—history and decadence you could wear. In 1897, his son Attilio took over, drawing inspiration from the Etruscan archeological excavations of the day and introducing the skull-shaped Vanitas jewels. Dark, opulent, and spellbinding, these provocative pieces seduced a circle of avant-garde artists and intellectuals. Coco Chanel was an imperious client; Jean Cocteau, Sergei Diaghilev, and Serge Lifar were also among those enchanted by their eerie charm. By 1958, after his father’s death, the young Attilio Codognato took the helm, carrying forward a legacy steeped in history, philosophical gravitas, and a glamorous dash of dark humor.

Indeed, the house of Codognato has been dazzling Venice and the international set since 1866, when 22-year-old Simeone Codognato opened an antiquarian shop just steps from St. Mark’s Square.

Photo: Courtesy of Codognato

As a psychoanalyst, Cristina Codognato is uniquely placed to decode the subconscious symbolism in her father’s creations. She links his fascination with the memento mori imagery as a psychoanalytical signifier: “The skull points to the unconscious dimension of death—inevitable, yet repressed. Rituals that use skulls or skeletal imagery bring death closer without being overwhelmed by it,” she reflected, proving that appreciation for unorthodox erudition runs in the family.

Photo: Courtesy of Codognato

As a psychoanalyst, Cristina Codognato is uniquely placed to decode the subconscious symbolism in her father’s creations. She links his fascination with the memento mori imagery as a psychoanalytical signifier: “The skull points to the unconscious dimension of death—inevitable, yet repressed. Rituals that use skulls or skeletal imagery bring death closer without being overwhelmed by it,” she reflected, proving that appreciation for unorthodox erudition runs in the family. “On a psychoanalytic level, this is a form of exorcism: transforming mute terror into symbolic form, into language, dream, and ritual. From medieval danse macabre to Baroque vanitas, from Mexico’s Día de los Muertos to Christian relics, the skull domesticates terror, making it thinkable, even aesthetic.”

Constellations of collectors have long orbited around the disquieting aura of Codognato’s talismans. Among the most devoted is Maria Grazia Chiuri, who hosted the book’s launch at the family’s palazzo during the Venice Film Festival with daughter Rachele Regini, who has been swept up in the Codognato mystique by her mother. The party had the feel of a festive affair, drawing a fabulous mix of family friends: Julian Schnabel, Anish Kapoor, Dries Van Noten, Juergen Teller, Willem Dafoe, Francesca Bellettini, and many more turned out to toast the new chapter of the house of Codognato.