177
177
Italy, c. 1990
carved walnut burl 7½ h × 16½ w × 15 d in (19 × 42 × 38 cm)
carved walnut burl 7½ h × 16½ w × 15 d in (19 × 42 × 38 cm)
estimate: $2,000–3,000
Applied metal label to underside ‘G. Lorenzi Milano 9 Montenepoleone’.
The beloved shop G. Lorenzi, located in Milan on the posh via Montenapoleone, closed in 2014. Founded in 1929 by Giovanni Lorenzi, the famed store sold both utilitarian and luxury everyday items—cutlery, shaving kits, horn-handled brushes, soap, nail clippers, stainless steel toothpaste squeezers, and the like—all specially commissioned and meticulously made by local Italian craftspeople. The store reopened in 2019 as Lorenzi Milano, under the direction of the founders' grandson and great-granddaughters, who continue the brand's legacy of offering artisan Italian wares.
I’m buying this, and my great-grandchildren are going to use it one day. It’s a concept that goes against the philosophy to update and discard purchases every few years. Time adds to the value of an object; it transforms it into something bello.
Serena Lorenzi, of Lorenzi Milano