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All auctions / Miscellaneous / Fratelli Mannelli - Enzo Mari (1932-2020) - Sculpture
Bring into your home the primal strength and timeless elegance of great Italian design. This zoomorphic sculpture in the shape of a Horse, born in the 1970s from the golden collaboration between the iconic designer Enzo Mari and master artisans Fratelli Mannelli, is much more than a decorative object: it is a fragment of Modernism history. The circular silhouette, interrupted only by sharp, geometric cuts, perfectly embodies the minimalist philosophy of the period. A designer paperweight or a showpiece for your bookshelf that catches the eye and celebrates the pure materiality of Tuscan stone. Enzo Mari (1932–2020) was one of the most revolutionary theoreticians and designers of 20th-century Italy. His approach rejected superfluous decoration to focus on the geometric and essential decomposition of forms. The series of zoomorphic animal figures in stone (of which the piranha is one of the most iconic and sought-after subjects) applies his famous search for the “ideal form”: remove material until only the minimum indispensable graphic sign remains to make the animal perfectly recognizable. Active in Tuscany (based in Signa) from the 1960s, the Fratelli Mannelli were absolute pioneers in reinterpretating local stone applied to office and interior objects. Their extraordinary artisanal skill transformed a material historically tied to monumental architecture into small domestic masterpieces (pen holders, paperweights, sculptures) distributed and appreciated internationally. The Brutalist movement is known for the exaltation of raw materials, the absence of artificially polished finishes, and the massive, primitive geometric shapes. In this sculpture, the style masterfully fuses with minimalism: the fish is not depicted in anatomical detail, but evoked through the stone’s thickness, the clean circular silhouette, and deep cuts that simulate an open mouth and gills, yielding a powerful, sculptural, and magnetic visual presence. The sculpture is entirely extracted and worked from the famous Rapolano Travertine (Siena). Unlike classic polished marbles, travertine stands out for its naturally porous, matte surface rich in small voids. The Fratelli Mannelli deliberately chose to leave the stone natural and unplastered: this means that each single sculpture features beige veins, warm hues, and unique holes of its kind, making this piece a one-of-a-kind object in the world.
Estimate:$170.1
To the auctionView all items fromCatawikiorMiscellaneous
Estimate:
$170.1
Joe St. Clair Blue Lily and Bubble with Millefiori Studio Glass Paperweights
01/02/2026
$77
Est: $46
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A GILT BRONZE AND MARBLE GRIFFIN PAPERWEIGHT, EARLY 19TH CENTURY
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$399.18
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A PAIR OF FRENCH GILT BRONZE DOG PAPERWEIGHTS OR PRESSE PAPIERS, LATE
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$345.95
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