Silver-Plated Metal and Plastic Ice Bucket, French Work, circa 1970

This silver-plated metal and plastic ice bucket is a characteristic table accessory of French art de vivre in the 1970s, a decade when cocktail culture and chilled wine reached their apogee in bourgeois drawing rooms and grand receptions. The combination of silver-plated metal — noble and lustrous — with plastic — a modern and functional material — is perfectly representative of this decade's aesthetic, which freely mixed traditional materials with new petrochemical derivatives. The sober, cylindrical form with its elegant proportions testifies to the care given to table design in 1970s France.

The silver-plated ice bucket occupies a privileged place in the French art de la table tradition. Since the nineteenth century, the great silversmiths — Christofle, Puiforcat, Ercuis — have produced ice buckets in sterling silver or silver plate destined for the most refined tables. In the 1960s and 1970s, this tradition continued in more contemporary forms, incorporating new materials such as insulating plastic, which improved the thermal efficiency of the object while allowing bolder shapes.

In good overall condition, this ice bucket is fully functional. It will find its natural place on a reception table, a service tray, or an apartment bar, bringing the elegance of French silverware to the staging of a convivial moment.