Lucite, Cane and Brass Ice Bucket in the Manner of Gabriella Crespi, Italy, circa 1970

Few pairings in post-war Italian decorative arts proved more fruitful than that of brass, cane and Lucite — a vocabulary that defines a celebrated moment in the history of the dolce vita interior. This square ice bucket exemplifies that aesthetic with particular refinement, marrying the warm, organic texture of fine cane-work with the cool industrial clarity of clear Plexiglass and the gilt warmth of polished brass fittings.

The exterior is entirely sheathed in a tightly worked cane panel set within a slender brass frame, the geometric weave creating a rich, tactile surface of great visual depth. This outer cladding serves both as insulation and as decoration, concealing within it a perfectly fitted, removable Lucite liner that keeps ice without sweating and lifts out cleanly for easy maintenance. The separate clear Lucite lid, surmounted by a turned brass knob and secured by small brass ring handles at the sides, completes the ensemble with characteristic Italian elegance.

The aesthetic lineage is unmistakable: the combination of cane, Lucite and brass is synonymous with the work of Gabriella Crespi and the broader tradition of high Italian decorative design of the late 1960s and early 1970s — a tradition that also encompassed Christian Dior's celebrated Maison lines of the period. In these works, the antique craft of caning is reinterpreted through a modernist lens, producing objects of timeless sophistication.

In excellent condition, the cane well preserved and the brass fittings retaining their warm lustre. A highly desirable example of a much-collected genre.