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Antique Italian terracotta trinket box by Dini e Cellai of Signa, near Florence.
A small lidded casket in bronze-patinated terracotta, decorated with bas-relief panels
of putti and cherubs on all four sides and the lid.
The scene shows a group of winged
cherubs at play around a bearded figure — one appears to hold up a mask to deceive the
others. Beaded borders frame each panel. The interior is finished in a cream glaze.
The base is stamped MADE IN ITALY with the Dini e Cellai Signa maker’s cartouche and
mold number 787.
Dimensions: 3.75 inches wide × 2.75 inches deep × approx. 2.5 inches tall
About the maker:
Dini e Cellai was founded in Lastra a Signa, seven miles west of Florence, in 1895.
Signa became a center for artistic terracotta production in this era, exhibiting
internationally through the early 1900s. The firm’s neoclassical reproductions — busts,
plaques, planters, and small boxes like this one — were sold widely to American and
British travelers on the Grand Tour, and are found in polychrome, silvered, and
bronze-patinated finishes.
Condition
Very good antique condition with honest wear consistent with age.
The relief on the lid shows the most rubbing, with softened detail and some loss of
patina. The four side panels remain sharp and well defined.
There is a small nick to
the lid rim and minor scattered spotting to the interior glaze.
Please review all photographs before purchasing.
ALL SALES FINAL. NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES WILL BE ACCEPTED
