Silver-Plated Duck Ice Bucket by Mauro Manetti, Italy, circa 1970

This extraordinary ice bucket by Mauro Manetti, the celebrated Florentine silversmith, stands as one of the most inventive and technically accomplished expressions of Italian decorative silver of the post-war period. Manetti's work is distinguished above all by his mastery of surface — his ability to translate the textures of the natural world into silver-plated metal with a fidelity and tactile richness that borders on the obsessive — and this duck is a supreme example of that gift.

The entire body of the duck is covered in an extraordinary feather-and-scale pattern rendered in painstaking relief, each individual feather articulated with the precision of a naturalist's study. The surface quality is remarkable: warm and complex, with the gentle oxidation of the silver settling into the recesses between the scales and creating a depth of tone and shadow that gives the piece a visual richness far beyond that of polished flat silver. The modelling of the form is equally accomplished — the neck, head and alert gaze of the bird rendered with the confidence of a sculptor.

The head and neck serve as the piece's removable lid, lifting away to reveal the smooth, polished silver interior — a functional cavity of generous proportion, entirely appropriate for chilling a bottle of champagne or wine at table. The combination of sculptural fantasy and practical utility is pure Manetti: an object that is both a serious work of the silversmith's art and a source of genuine delight.

Signed examples by Mauro Manetti are actively sought by collectors of Italian decorative silver and by those furnishing distinguished table settings.