A beautiful ice bucket by Mauro Manetti, made in Italy around the 1970s. Fashioned as a pineapple, this silvered pewter ice bucket was designed by Mauro Manetti for the Fonderia D’Arte foundry in Florence, Italy. Stamped to the underside.

Coveted for centuries by kings for its scarcity and stately appearance, and lusted after for its unadulterated meat, the pineapple became a worldwide obsession at the beginning of the 16th century. Europe’s royal houses paid thousands in today’s money for just one fruit to put on display as the centrepiece at their tables. It was the ultimate symbol of wealth and was christened the “King of Fruit”. It became a shameless emblem of the financial and social inequality between the classes throughout Europe at the height of the tropical fruit’s obsession. However, the fledgling nations of the west would eventually help bring the pineapple back down to earth and soften its image to that of warm welcomes, celebration and hospitality which is why they can be seen in all sorts of Georgian and Victorian architecture; its appeal and symbolism still with us today.

Condition: excellent, please refer to photographs

Dimensions: 25cm high, 14cm wide, 14cm deep