This nineteenth-century jewel draws its inspiration from the pendants made in Germany in the early 1700s, but it is unusual amongst Renaissance Revival pieces for its commemoration of an event from contemporary Italian foreign policy. The large central sapphire is finely engraved with a representation of the battle of Dogali, Ethiopia. The jewel was designed and made by the great Italian firm of Castellani, noted for their interest in historical jewellery and their revival of classical and Renaissance styles.

On the 26th of January 1887, an Italian invasion force was defeated by the Ethiopian army at Dogali, leading to the death of 500 Italian soldiers. This was a traumatic defeat for the newly unified Italy, soon commemorated with a monument near the renamed Piazza dei Cinquecento in Rome. Passionate newspaper reports served to inflame opinion against Ethiopia and united Italians in a feeling of wounded pride and indignation. The battle scene engraved with minute detail on the sapphire was taken from a print published in Illustrazione italiana, along with an account of the battle. Castellani’s nationalist feeling was also demonstrated by the creation of tricolour brooches after the unification of Italy.

The sapphire must have been engraved very soon after the event, and the completed jewel is recorded in Castellani's studio inventory in June 1888 - allowing a more precise dating than is usually possible with Castellani's work. Three other pendants in this form are known, but these have a double flower in place of the engraved gem. Castellani’s Renaissance style jewellery did not meet the same immediate praise as the classically inspired pieces but the firm’s research into enamelling was an important factor in the renewal of the art.