A stylish Italian silver ice bucket that has a sculpted silver Penguin figure on the lid. By Italian maker Restelli; circa 1955. Lovely quality! Italian retailers mark to the base, F. Chiappe, together with the silver purity stamp of 800. The silver is engraved with a signature at the base of the penguin, Restelli.
Dimensions: 17 cm/6¾ inches (diameter at the rim) x 27.5 cm/10⅞ inches (height to the top of the penguin).
Mario Restelli was a gifted sculptor, silversmith and goldsmith who won a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition of Decorative Art in 1925 which launched Art Deco. He was mainly active in the Lombardy region of Italy and is best known for his applied art works and elegant animalier subjects. He was a highly skilled chiseller and always gave his sculptures meticulously embossed details that embellished the metal surfaces. His production, which began in the 1920s and lasted until the 1960s, is made up of a very rich body of works with a superb formal appearance that attracted a small and passionate group of collectors from the Milanese bourgeoisie (they knew about him thanks to some renowned jewellers and silversmiths from Milan city centre, including Aristide Chiappe.
