Carafe
1991 (made), 1971 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The San Lorenzo studio was founded in 1970. One aim was to ask major Italian architects to design silver tableware. This collaboration has resulted in modern, innovative design in a medium that the British have tended to view in traditional terms.
Both Lella and Massimo Vignelli (born 1931) studied architecture. In 1960 they formed a husband and wife partnership. They have worked in graphic design, packaging design, corporate identity programmes, transport, furniture and exhibition design. In the late 1960s they moved from Milan to the United States. They founded Vignelli Associates in New York in 1971. Their work has been widely published and is represented in several major museums, including ones in New York, Montreal and Munich. They have been awarded several prestigious design awards, such as the Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects (1973) and the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (1983).
Both Lella and Massimo Vignelli (born 1931) studied architecture. In 1960 they formed a husband and wife partnership. They have worked in graphic design, packaging design, corporate identity programmes, transport, furniture and exhibition design. In the late 1960s they moved from Milan to the United States. They founded Vignelli Associates in New York in 1971. Their work has been widely published and is represented in several major museums, including ones in New York, Montreal and Munich. They have been awarded several prestigious design awards, such as the Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects (1973) and the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (1983).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver |
| Brief description | Silver, Milan, made by San Lorenzo, 1991, designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli. |
| Physical description | The body is a regular cylinder with the external wall decorated with closely set vertical striations. The rim, an internal flange extends at one side to form the handle, a bifurcated strip with a rounded end with its profile in the form of an inverted L. The spout is a V shaped section cut from the rim, opposite the handle. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Centre of the base: company mark of San Lorenzo, designer’s mark lmv for Lella and Massimo Vignelli, date letter U for 1990, sterling standard mark 925, Milan control mark; -applied in emulation of the British hallmarking system; designers identified with their own punch |
| Object history | **Label: Date of Make - 1996 and date of design - 1991 |
| Summary | The San Lorenzo studio was founded in 1970. One aim was to ask major Italian architects to design silver tableware. This collaboration has resulted in modern, innovative design in a medium that the British have tended to view in traditional terms. Both Lella and Massimo Vignelli (born 1931) studied architecture. In 1960 they formed a husband and wife partnership. They have worked in graphic design, packaging design, corporate identity programmes, transport, furniture and exhibition design. In the late 1960s they moved from Milan to the United States. They founded Vignelli Associates in New York in 1971. Their work has been widely published and is represented in several major museums, including ones in New York, Montreal and Munich. They have been awarded several prestigious design awards, such as the Industrial Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects (1973) and the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (1983). |
| Bibliographic reference | 1970-1995 The work of the silversmiths studio, San Lorenzo, Milan. An exhibition at the V&A, ed. Evelina Bazzo, Milan, Electa, 1995. pp.156 & 158, 160-1, 168-9.
Italian Silverware of the 20th Century, from Decorative Arts to Design. ed. Tersilla F. Giacobone, Milan, Electa, 1993. cat. No. 40; ill. p.120. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.67-1996 |
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| Record created | March 3, 2004 |
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