POMEGRANATE

Precious fruit in sterling silver, entirely made by hand by the historic silversmith Brandimarte, active in Florence since 1955.

The pomegranate, a fruit with strong symbolism attached to it, was linked to Dionysus, Aphrodite and Persephone in the pagan world, while it takes on overtones of purity, sacrifice and resurrection in the Christian world. Famous are Sandro Botticelli’s Madonna of the Magnificat and Madonna of the Pomegranate, both paintings depicting Mary and Jesus holding one of these fruits, now on display in the Galleria degli Uffizi.

Brandimarte has created trays, fruit bowls and fruit stands for us with typically Renaissance festoon decorations in sterling silver.

For centuries, the art of chasing has been the preferred decorative technique for the creation of valuable furnishings. Indeed, this type of workmanship has deep roots in Florence. The Medici family commissioned many objects made using this technique. Chasing was selected for the typical festoon motif, also to be seen in the Gallery’s grotesques and on the façade of the Limonaia in the Boboli Gardens. Their resemblance to certain artefacts to be found in the general catalogue of Le Gallerie degli Uffizi is evident.