Among the most architecturally resolved cocktail shakers ever produced, this sterling silver example by Tage Gothlin for the Swedish silversmith Tesi is a work of genuine sculptural ambition — a vessel that transcends its function to become a piece of pure form.
The shaker is modeled as an abstracted skyscraper: a tall, fluted body of octagonal section tapers upward through a dramatically scalloped and cusped cornice — each point a sharp chevron of polished silver — to a stepped square plinth that supports the cylindrical cap. The cap itself is surmounted by a tight cluster of five spherical finials, their mirrored surfaces acting as a final punctuation mark of considerable wit. The interplay between the strong vertical fluting of the body, the jagged skyline of the cornice, and the pure geometry of the cap and finials places this firmly in the tradition of late Swedish Grace — that singular moment in Scandinavian design when Art Deco ambition met Nordic restraint and produced objects of lasting power.
Tage Gothlin was one of the most accomplished Swedish silversmiths of the mid-twentieth century, working within a tradition of highly refined craft production. The Tesi workshop, based in Sweden, produced silver of consistently high quality and technical accomplishment. The hallmarks struck to the base confirm sterling silver and provide the date letter for 1948 — a postwar date that makes this piece a late and particularly resolved statement of the skyscraper aesthetic that had defined progressive silver design since the late 1920s.
The base retains a full suite of Swedish hallmarks, visible in the photography. The condition is excellent, with the original high polish substantially intact and the form crisp throughout.
MAKER: Tesi, Sweden; designed by Tage Gothlin DATE: 1948 (date letter confirmed by hallmarks) MATERIAL: Sterling silver MARKS: Full Swedish hallmarks to base including maker's mark, date letter (1948), and assay marks DIMENSIONS: [To be measured and added] CONDITION: Excellent; original polish substantially intact; form crisp throughout
Among the most architecturally resolved cocktail shakers ever produced, this sterling silver example by Tage Gothlin for the Swedish silversmith Tesi is a work of genuine sculptural ambition — a vessel that transcends its function to become a piece of pure form.
The shaker is modeled as an abstracted skyscraper: a tall, fluted body of octagonal section tapers upward through a dramatically scalloped and cusped cornice — each point a sharp chevron of polished silver — to a stepped square plinth that supports the cylindrical cap. The cap itself is surmounted by a tight cluster of five spherical finials, their mirrored surfaces acting as a final punctuation mark of considerable wit. The interplay between the strong vertical fluting of the body, the jagged skyline of the cornice, and the pure geometry of the cap and finials places this firmly in the tradition of late Swedish Grace — that singular moment in Scandinavian design when Art Deco ambition met Nordic restraint and produced objects of lasting power.
Tage Gothlin was one of the most accomplished Swedish silversmiths of the mid-twentieth century, working within a tradition of highly refined craft production. The Tesi workshop, based in Sweden, produced silver of consistently high quality and technical accomplishment. The hallmarks struck to the base confirm sterling silver and provide the date letter for 1948 — a postwar date that makes this piece a late and particularly resolved statement of the skyscraper aesthetic that had defined progressive silver design since the late 1920s.
The base retains a full suite of Swedish hallmarks, visible in the photography. The condition is excellent, with the original high polish substantially intact and the form crisp throughout.
MAKER: Tesi, Sweden; designed by Tage Gothlin DATE: 1948 (date letter confirmed by hallmarks) MATERIAL: Sterling silver MARKS: Full Swedish hallmarks to base including maker's mark, date letter (1948), and assay marks DIMENSIONS: [To be measured and added] CONDITION: Excellent; original polish substantially intact; form crisp throughout
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