Italian Silver 'Furry' Duck Sculpture by Buccellati

18241: Italian Silver 'Furry' Duck Sculpture by Buccellati
Italian, 20th century
Height: 30cm, width 46cm, depth 10cm

This spirited silver duck is a fine example of Buccellati animalier sculpture, its layered plumage rendered in the workshop's celebrated 'furry' technique and set against gilded beak and feet. Closely observed and meticulously hand-finished, the piece unites lifelike modelling with exceptional surface craftsmanship.

The bird is captured in an animated pose, standing upright with wings spread and beak parted as though mid-call. The body is worked in the distinctive furry technique, the silver covered with countless fine engraved strokes to produce a richly textured surface evoking soft down. The wings extend outward in gracefully layered tiers, the longer flight feathers chased with slender central shafts and softly rounded tips, creating a lively play of light and shade across the plumage. The head is modelled with refined detailing around the inset eyes, while the parted beak, webbed feet and legs are rendered in warm gilding, offering a radiant contrast against the gently oxidised silver of the feathers.

The underside of the foot is signed 'Gianmaria Buccellati' and bears Italian hallmarks for 800 standard silver.

The Milanese firm of Buccellati was founded by Mario Buccellati (1891–1965) and continued under his son Gianmaria, who maintained its reputation for exceptional craftsmanship and inventive surface technique. Working in a tradition rooted in Italian Renaissance goldsmithing, the workshop produced luxury silver, jewellery and decorative objects for private collectors and distinguished clients across Europe and America, ranking among the foremost makers of fine silver of the 20th century. Its animalier models, of which this is a characteristic example, combine close study of the living subject with the laborious hand-engraving that gives the surface its tactile richness.

Poised and alert, the duck makes an arresting decorative object, equally at home on a dining table, a console, or within a collection of 20th-century Italian silver.
$18,000