Silver-Plated Pear-Form Ice Bucket with Leaf Handle — Teghini, Florence, Circa 1970

This substantial ice bucket presents one of the most sculpturally ambitious realisations of the trompe-l’œil fruit form in Italian decorative silverwork of the postwar period. Modelled as a large pear at the peak of ripeness, the silver-plated body is executed with convincing naturalistic proportions: the rounded base swells generously before tapering to a characteristic neck, while the removable lid is surmounted by a finely modelled twig and leaf in silver that serves both as handle and as a completing botanical detail. The leaf is worked with particular care, its veining and surface texture rendered with botanical precision.

The piece bears the mark of Teghini, a respected Florentine workshop long associated with the production of silver-plated decorative objects of high quality. Florence’s tradition of fine metalwork and its position as a centre of luxury craft production throughout the postwar decades made it a natural source for such ambitious trompe-l’œil pieces, which combined the formal skill of the Florentine goldsmith tradition with the popular taste of the period for playful naturalism. The H52 mark to the base indicates the model number, confirming the piece’s place within a production series.

The trompe-l’œil fruit and vegetable form became one of the most characteristic expressions of Italian and French decorative silverwork of the 1960s and 1970s. These objects participated in a long-established tradition of botanical mimicry in the applied arts while updating it with the bold, sculptural confidence of the postwar decorative sensibility. At 36.5 cm in height, this pear ice bucket is among the most ambitious examples of the genre — its scale allows for the kind of sculptural conviction that smaller pieces cannot achieve.

The piece presents some localised denting to the silver-plated body, noted and priced accordingly. The modelling, lid, and leaf element are otherwise well preserved. Signed and marked Teghini, Florence. Dimensions: 19 × 19 × 36.5 cm.