Brass Fly Ashtray Trinket Box Hinged No. 1

A housefly in cast brass, head low and body set on six jointed legs that splay out and grip the surface. The abdomen is ribbed in tight bands, and the wings are veined from root to tip, with darker patina settled into every recess so the detail reads even from across a room. Both wings lift together on a hinge at the shoulder and open onto a small compartment.

Figural brass smoking accessories were a steady output of Italian workshops through the middle of the century, and insects were a favorite subject, with beetles and flies cast as ashtrays and match holders for the desk. The fly also has an older place in Italian art. Renaissance painters sometimes added a painted fly to a panel or portrait, a trompe l'oeil detail that showed off the artist's hand and served as a small reminder of mortality.

Style: Mid-Century Italian
Materials & Techniques: Cast brass, hinged wings, aged patina
Place of Origin: Italy
Period: Mid-20th century