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.
$6,835 / item
Armadillo Sterling Silver Lighter
By Fratelli Lisi
Located in Milan, IT
Playful true-to-life silver armadillo that serves as a lighter other than being a decorative artwork in its own right. Expertly made by the Florentine...
Sterling Silver
$7,935 / item
The Frog Sterling Silver Lighter
By Fratelli Lisi
Located in Milan, IT
Playful true to life silver frog that serves as a lighter other than being a decorative piece of artwork. Expertly handmade by the Florentine silversmiths, the Lisi Brothers, its rea...
Sterling Silver
$1,655 / item
Ila Sterling Silver Frog
By Fratelli Lisi
Located in Milan, IT
Intricate workmanship imbues this decorative piece with a life of its own. Crafted from sterling silver by Florentine silversmith house Lisi Brothers, this statuette is chiseled and ...
Silver
$1,470 / item
Sterling Silver Rose
By Fratelli Lisi
Located in Milan, IT
At once symbolic and ornamental, the deft workmanship of the Florentine silversmith workshop Lisi Brothers achieves a life-likeness in this elegant sterling silver rose. The flower i...
Silver
Sterling Silver Bracelet "Isadora" by Jacques Jarrige
By Jacques Jarrige
Located in New York, NY
This bracelet in sterling silver is hand-hammered. It is also available in gold-plated brass. Jarrige's jewelry is more companion than ornament, heightening one's physical awarene...
Sterling Silver
High-Spire Seashell with Sterling Silver Overlay
By Buccellati
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine vintage silvered sea shell. Comprising a high spire sea shell with silver overlay throughout. In the style of Ruzzetti & Gow or Buccellati. The ...
Silver
$680Sale Price|20% Off
H 1 in W 8.5 in D 1 in
1980s Ruzzetti & Gow Italian Sterling Silver Spingle Tibia Fusus Shell
By Karl Springer
Located in San Diego, CA
Stunning vintage 1980s original Ruzzetti & Gow Italian sterling silver wrapped spindle tibia shell is 8.5" long. Has the original tag inside. Excellent table top decorative object. G...
Sterling Silver
Georg Jensen Sterling Silver Table Lighter #203A
By Georg Jensen
Located in New York, NY
Exquisite Georg Jensen sterling silver table lighter in pattern 203A with small engraving on the body. A great gift and addition to one's...
Sterling Silver, Silver
$4,671
H 2.96 in W 4.93 in D 1.58 in
Rare Edwardian Antique Sterling Silver Pig Model, Berthold Muller Chester, 1903
By Berthold Muller
Located in London, London
Carrying import marks for Chester in 1903 by Berthold Muller, this charming, Antique Sterling Silver Model of a Pig, is wonderfully modelled, and features a removable head. The pig m...
Sterling Silver
Buccelatti Sterling Silver Chick
By Buccellati
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handmade in Italy. Hallmarked and stamped "Buccelatti."
Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver Clad Conch Shell
Located in Malibu, CA
An intricate natural conch shell clad in sterling silver showcasing it's sculptural ridges & beautiful organic form. The interior reveals a pearly white finish, adding contrast t...
Sheet Metal, Sterling Silver
Vintage Cartier Handmade Sterling Silver Shopping Bag
By Cartier
Located in Cincinnati, OH
This vintage sterling silver shopping bag was handmade by Cartier. The boutique-style shopping bag is designed to stand upright and features two arched handles composed of thick-gau...
Sterling Silver
Antique Sterling Silver Gimbal Table Lighter by Andrew Barrett, 1910
By Andrew Barrett & Son
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine, and impressive, antique George V English sterling silver gimbal table lighter; an addition to our smoking related silverware collection This exceptional antique George V sterling silver table lighter has a globular form to a rounded composite handle. The surface of the piece is plain and embellished with the contemporary bright cut engraved initial 'H' beneath a Baron's coronet. The center of this antique silver table lighter...
Agate, Sterling Silver
Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Makers Table Cigar Lighter
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in Soquel, CA
Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Makers Table Cigar Lighter Tiffany & Co. Cigar Table lighter. Sterling silver body with cotton wick. On the bot...
Sterling Silver
Vintage Silver Plate and Tortoise Frog by Maitland Smith
By Maitland Smith
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Standout mid century life size frog sculpture or object of art handcrafted in silver plate on bronze with a tortoise shell terrazzo back. Signed Maitland Smith on the bottom.
Silver Plate, Bronze
Vintage Sterling Silver Figural Boar Figurine
By Cartier, Buccellati, Tiffany & Co.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine silver miniature figurine. In sterling silver. In the form of a boar in trot. Hallmarked to the stomach. Simply a wonderful miniature boar! Date: 20th Century Overall C...
Sterling Silver