Sculptured trivet
A personal work of art to celebrate 40 years of marriage with his beloved wife
The Inspiration
Totemic animals tell the story of marital love.
The funny cardiologist has been coming to my showroom for fifteen years to ask for a special present for his wife. One every year. The requests have changed over time, and banality has always been banned. What hasn’t changed are the four subjects that have to be included in the piece: a crow, a duck, a sheep and a wasp. Totemic animals I have to interpret and transform every time into something new.
In these last fifteen years, I’ve been making sculptures, earrings, rings, pendants, a bag, colliers and a pair of shoes decorated with microsculptures of these animals. To celebrate their 40 years wedding anniversary, the client asks me to create a special piece, which must include the four animals and a cat – the new member of the family.
The Making
An artistic bronze trivet to be displayed on a table or on a wall.
I decide to think outside the box: this is what my client has asked. In my mind, I picture a unique object that could express true love and tell the story of the couple.
I draw a sketch on paper. The animals take shape, they intertwine and become something else: a peculiar object. It’s a sculptured trivet that is both a kitchen tool and a work of art to be displayed on a table or hung on a wall.
Once the sketch is ready, I mold the wax sculpture. Taking away layers of wax allows me to define with precision all the details I want to include in the final piece. The melting phase is tricky: I choose bronze, the metal I favor for its warm and all-embracing brightness.
The final piece is a round sculpture where the number 40 is at the center and is surrounded by the 5 animals arranged radially.
The Emotion
It’s always a pleasure to give shape to the desires of my clients.
Every year my client’s wife waits, amused and curious, for her husband’s gift. This year, the artistic trivet left her speechless and moved. To her feelings of joy, kindness and infinite love, I add my personal feeling. A profound sense of gratitude towards them, for having given me the chance to put myself out there and to freely create my artistic pieces.
