Designer: Lino Sabattini (1925 - 2016)

Item: Gravy Boat aka Saulier

Manufactured by: Christofle

Country of origin: France

Year made: 1950

Materials: Silverpate over brass with teak handle 

Dimensions: 2 ½” x 7 ½” x 9 ¼”

Condition: Very good with some light scratching and scuffs from use and polishing. One small spot on the interior where it appears there may been a price sticker affixed that left a very faint outline of the sticker, but no loss or damage to the silver-plate. 

References: Made in Italy: 45 Jahre Design in Silber, Grassimuseum Leipzig, Germany, 1995; Enrico Marelli,Lino Sabattini: Imitations andCraftsmanship, Edizioni Metron, 1979.

Description:  An early Sabattini design while he served as the director of designs for Christofle between 1956 and 1963.  This object has incredibly great lines and contours and was well ahead of its time.  This gravy boat has all the appropriate Christofle hallmarks as seen in the photos.  In 1956 Gio Ponti presented Lino Sabattini's metal objects in the annual design publication Domus and organized an exhibition for Sabattini in Paris.  Sabattini then became director of design at the Christofle where he created metalware household objects in abstracted and organic forms such as this.