Three monkey-wise men; FRATELLI LISI E FIGLI, Florence, 20th century.

Three monkey-wise; FRATELLI LISI E FIGLI, Florence, 20th century.
925 silver.
Signed on the base "Fratelli Lisi e Figli".
Measurements: 7 x 5 x 6 cm.
Set consisting of three monkeys, known as the "wise monkeys" or "mystical monkeys". The three pieces are made in silver with the face, hands and feet chiseled and the body composed of filaments that reproduce in a naturalistic way the fur of the animals. One of the monkeys covers its eyes, another its ears and another its mouth. This was popularized in oriental art, being understood in some occasions as the representation of the submission of the people before the dominant powers.
The pieces present in the base signature of the company Fratelli Lisi, which began its activity immediately after the Second World War. The family business was run by the three brothers, Adriano, Lionello and Romano. It was Adriano, known as "Dore", the eldest of the three, who realized that it was necessary to set out to improve, and so, with his two younger brothers, he started his own business, after a brief experience with an old silversmith.The beginnings were hard so the three brothers oriented their production towards uniqueness, inventing working methods impossible to recreate with machinery and departing immediately from classical production, creating a silver world made of animals, little fairytale characters and mysterious chests. The imagination, the special technique of "hair" and the natural ability of the three of them allowed them to create true sculptures, unique pieces that are still inimitable today. The workshop continues, among children and grandchildren, to maintain the traditional working methods that distinguish the Lisi family all over the world.