Mid-Century Modern Italian Handcarved Lemon Alabaster Stone Fruit, 1960s

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Highly decorative sculptural lemon desk accessory / paperweight, carved from naturally pigmented Italian alabaster, most probably Volterra, mid-20th century. The … Read more Highly decorative sculptural lemon desk accessory / paperweight, carved from naturally pigmented Italian alabaster, most probably Volterra, mid-20th century. The warm golden-ochre colouration, which derives from natural iron oxide within the stone is an indicator of both material quality and age. Alabaster from Volterra was a staple of the Italian decorative arts from the 19th century through the mid-20th century, and pieces of this quality — solid, hand-carved, without lathe marks, with intact natural patina — are meaningfully distinct from the mass-produced versions that flooded the market from the 1980s onwards. The recessed oval cut is also hand-finished, not moulded. Condition is excellent: no chips, cracks or repairs, with a lovely, gentle patine: it carries the soft waxy surface sheen that develops only with age. A refined, unpretentious object with genuine material presence. See less