Since the mid-20th century, Florentine silversmithing firm Fratelli Lisi has produced some of the finest silver crafts to come out of Europe. From elaborate floral designs — as exemplified by the company’s candleholders — to simple mushroom-shaped salt and pepper shakers, Fratelli Lisi brings elegance and imagination to all it produces.
Brothers Adriano, Lionello and Romano Lisi — sons of a baker — banded together just after World War II to establish their silversmithing workshop in Florence. At the onset, Fratelli Lisi (the first word being Italian for brothers) employed only 10 people. Building the business from the ground up, the partners and their colleagues made everything they needed, from workbenches to tools, honing their craft as they went along.
The brothers focused on techniques and forms that factory machines could not reproduce. They worked tirelessly and methodically, and soon they were creating artistic sculptures that could only be made by a deft hand and a keen eye. Fratelli Lisi artisans have long drawn inspiration from nature to craft ornamental objets d’art that often serve a utilitarian purpose. A silver turtle figurine, for instance, may also secretly be a box for hiding small items or storing a button collection.
Not unlike Brandimarte, another Florentine silversmithing firm founded in the mid-century years that remains family-owned, Fratelli Lisi remains a family enterprise based in Florence, and the original vision and silversmithing methods have been passed down from generation to generation. For custom commissions, Fratelli Lisi designers begin by collaborating with the client, to get a rough idea of a form to sketch before production. Working from the sketch, the smiths introduce their expertise and artistry — what they collectively call "a touch of magic" — to create the final product.
On 1stDibs, find an assortment of Fratelli Lisi silver and serveware.
$13,005 / item
Sophisticated Pumpkin Case
By Fratelli Lisi
Located in Milan, IT
Sterling silver pumpkin-box handcrafted, chiseled and embossed by expert silversmiths, the Lisi Brothers, in Florence. Its dynamic and hyper-re...
Silver
$1,695
H 16.5 in W 12.5 in D 12 in
Antique English Regency Toleware Footed Coal Box or Scuttle with Brass Handles
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique metal coal box or coal scuttle is presumably made in England during the 1820s in the Regency period and style. The box is constructed of th...
Metal
Middle Eastern Moorish Handcrafted Mosaic Decorative Box
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Exquisite handcrafted Middle Eastern mosaic marquetry inlaid walnut wood box. Small box intricately decorated with Moorish motif designs which h...
Fruitwood, Shell, Mother-of-Pearl
18th Century Swedish Blue Painted Wooden Box with Ironwork
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A Swedish Baroque box with original ironwork, key and working lock dated (forged in iron) 1752. This pine wood box, bought in the region of "Dalsland" in Sweden, not far from from No...
Iron
Moorish Hand Blown Gilt Glass Bohemian Perfume Bottle
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish gilt glass perfume bottle. Hand blown glass perfume bottle gilded with 24-karat gold hand painted designs...
Glass, Blown Glass
$3,495
H 9 in W 16.25 in D 9.5 in
Superb Antique Folk Art Parquetry Casket Styled Writing Box or Lap Desk
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This exquisite antique parquetry writing box or lap desk is unsigned, but presumed to have been made in Canada in approximately 1900 in a Folk Art style. The box itself, including th...
Softwood
Regency Penwork Decorated Box, C1810
Located in valatie, NY
Regency Penwork Decorated Box c1810. "A sycamore veneered box decorated in penwork. The sides of the box are decorated with what looks like stylized marigolds. ...
Brass
Large Tramp Art Hinge Lid Box
Located in Mt Kisco, NY
A handcrafted Tramp Art box or small chest. A detailed design on four tapered feet. The interior is lined with white quilted fabric and the lid is fitted with a large finial. The bot...
Wood
$550
H 1 in W 5 in D 4 in
Mid-19th Century Gutta Percha Box with Photo's & Contemporary Notes on Genealogy
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mid-19th century Gutta Percha Box with photo's and contemporary notes on Genealogy Fantastic mid-19th century gutta percha box with standing figures and a horse. Gutta Percha b...
Other
$285 / item
H 9 in W 3 in D 1.25 in
Moroccan Red Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Embossed Metal Overlay
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish red painted glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over red g...
Metal
$925
H 3.5 in W 4.5 in D 3.75 in
French 19thc Paper Covered Box Diorama of Strasbourg Cathedral Under a Glass Top
Located in valatie, NY
French 19th c paper covered box with what appears to be a 3D diorama of the Strasbourg cathedral under a glass covered top. These paper boxes were de...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Moorish Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Embossed Metal Overlay
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over amber glass. The pressed glass bottle in Art Deco, Art Nouveau style is oval shape with curved sides and hand decorated with embossed metal silvered overlay. This has a long metal top spout that unscrews so the bottle can be filled to pour the perfume or rose water into this little luxe bottle. This is a recycled vintage French perfume bottle Reve D'Or and mark in the bottom by "L T Piver Paris". Handcrafted in Marrakech, Morocco by skilled artisans that used recycle perfume bottle and add the metal overlay...
Metal
$4,000
H 3.94 in W 7.88 in D 4.73 in
Norwegian Baroque Box, Carved Mythical Creatures + Figurative Scenes, Circa 1740
Located in New York, NY
Very special Baroque box with carved decorations of mythical creatures and figurative scenes Carved monogrammed initials "HPP" + Family Crest, origin: Gudbrandsdal, Norway, circa 174...
Softwood