January 2017 - Franco Lapini

Franco Lapini at Vinitaly 2017

Franco Lapini at VinItaly 2017: a silversmith at the wine fair.

Always the excellence of Made in Italy, Franco Lapini will be present at the largest wine exhibition.

Vinitaly is an international exhibition of wine and spirits, which has been held in Verona since 1967, on an annual basis. Vinitaly covers over 95,000 m², has more than 4,000 exhibitors a year and registers around 150,000 visitors per edition. The show brings together producers, importers, distributors, restaurateurs, technicians, journalists and opinion leaders. Every year it hosts over fifty thematic tastings of Italian and foreign wines and offers a conference program that addresses the main issues related to the supply and demand of the wine market. The analyzes are conducted by the Vinitaly Studi&Ricerche Observatory.

In addition to the exhibition areas dedicated to wine producers, the show is made up of workshops, buyers clubs and special exhibition areas to promote Made in Italy and make emerging companies known on the market. In the context of Vinitaly, international competitions and awards are organized, the most famous of which are: the International Wine Competition, the International Packaging Competition and the Vinitaly International Award which, together with the International Wine and Spirit Competition, promotes the dissemination of wine culture in the world. At the same time as the Wine Fair, the following are held: Sol, the International Exhibition of Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the Agrifood Club, the Quality Agrifood Exhibition, and Enolitech, the International Exhibition of Techniques for Viticulture, Oenology and Technologies Olive and oil farms.

Vinitaly also organizes the Vinitaly for You Fuorisalone, a wine bar event held in the historic center of Verona. Vinitaly also performs the function of ambassador of Italian wine in the world through Vinitaly in the world which organizes events in the main international markets. This year, however, will not be limited only to this. In this edition there will also be Franco Lapini at Vinitaly 2017.

Franco Lapini this year will participate in the largest international wine exhibition as an excellent exhibitor of Made in Italy silverware. As a silversmith workshop with more than fifty years of history behind it, it is a great privilege for the Franco Lapini brand to be present at the exhibition, especially on the fiftieth anniversary of Vinitaly. Franco Lapini at Vinitaly 2017 is the symbol of an excellence that meets another.

This year Vinitaly takes place from Sunday 9th April to Wednesday 12th April. For more information, consult their website.

Silver candelabra

Silver candelabra: history and curiosities.

A little journey to discover the art of lighting.

Nowadays silver candlesticks are a luxury piece of furniture. Something we want solely for its beauty and without a practical purpose. But in the Renaissance they were not only art, they were also a necessity. Obviously candles and candelabras had been there for some time, but they were very different from what we are talking about. The candelabrum was already known to the Etruscans and the ancient Romans. Two types of candlesticks became widespread in Rome: a bronze one consisting of a shaped stem and four animal-paw feet for purely domestic use; the other, larger, in marble or richly decorated bronze, installed in places of worship and public buildings. Around the 8th century they were established in Christian places of worship and those produced with gold and silver were not rare. During the Romanesque period the object underwent some variations, such as that of column-shaped candelabra resting on decorated bases.

But it was in the fifteenth century that, under the pressure of the “humanistic revolution” of the Renaissance, silver made its triumphant entry into everyday life. Losing its status as the exclusive material of sacred and royal art (along with gold) and considered its greatest availability, silver became the hallmark of the bourgeoisie. In the homes of the rich, silver could be found everywhere: on the table, with plates, cups, salt shakers and, finally, knives and forks, of various shapes and sizes. For personal hygiene there were jugs and basins. In the rest of the house it was present in the form of ornaments, centerpieces and candlesticks in sumptuous-looking silver, enriched with precious stones, gilding and enamels. Here we note the true art of Florentine silverware, capable of combining the usefulness of common objects with great artistic expressiveness.

Silversmithing was considered an art equal to painting and architecture and many celebrated artists such as Ghiberti, Brunelleschi and Benvenuto Cellini began their apprenticeships as silversmiths. Mannerism, to the simplicity and linearity of classical forms, preferred the complexity and the invention of symbols and erudite themes, exasperated and grotesque forms, richly decorated and elaborate objects. The most famous example is the salt cellar created by Benvenuto Cellini for Francesco I, now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Silver lent itself well to this type of work both for its ductility and for its high ability to reflect light. Candelabra in particular made the most of this ability, reflecting the light produced by the candle itself and increasing its brightness. This made silver candlesticks not only the most beautiful, but also the most efficient.