Broggi - Gio Ponti - Carafe - Silverplated

Rare alpaca tea or coffee carafe, produced by the prestigious Italian company Broggi Milano, active since 1818 in the production of high-quality tableware, cookware, and cutlery, design Gio Ponti.

Broggi, throughout its long history, has established itself on the Italian and international market as one of the most important Italian companies in the production of stainless steel and silvered alpaca utensils. Strengthened by collaborations with great designers, foremost Gio Ponti, they have created objects with captivating design that have written the history of Italian art de la table. Still active today, they continually collaborate with designers, more or less well known, in the realization of cutting-edge products that continue to captivate today’s public.

A rare example of a coffee pot or teapot designed by the great Gio Ponti is offered at auction.

Measurements: 12x16.5x10.5 cm.

Excellent overall condition.

A very rare object, of great taste and refinement, perfect for bringing style and design to every kind of table.

The craft of the goldsmith is an ancient and difficult art that requires skill and precision, but above all love. With these premises, Gaetano Broggi, last heir of a family of artisans expert in “gilding and silvering metals,” opened his first workshop in Via dei Mercanti d’Oro in Milan, in 1818.

The fame of silverware, tableware, and sacred silver objects reached the royal court of Turin, so much so that in 1841 the Duke of Savoy entrusted the Milanese artisan with gilding the ornaments for his own wedding.

While gilding and silvering were still done by hand, Gaetano’s sons, Carlo and Serafino, decided to travel abroad to study the latest innovations in the sector. Thus they experimented with the electroplating process, which entailed a notable saving of time and resources, increasing production and refining qualitative aspects, to the delight of the traditional noble clientele and the new bourgeoisie. It was 1866 when the firm Gaetano Broggi e Figli inaugurated the new headquarters in S. Maria Fulcorina, where metalworking was joined with the production of tableware and cutlery. Here was born the silver alloy that soon made the name Broggi famous worldwide: a special alloy capable of combining luster, remarkable resistance, and significantly lower cost.

The Broggi company continued to grow until moving to Piazza San Marco, where, for the first time in Italy, Broggi began manufacturing cutlery and turning oval objects.

On June 14, 1872, Vittorio Emanuele II granted permission to place the royal crest on the headquarters sign as a supplier to the Royal Household.

Only a few years later, a new innovation: the dynamo for electric current production, which the Broggis discovered abroad and brought to Italy to optimize the electroplating process.

Soon the family faced a challenge of large-scale supplies, starting with the hospitality sector. In 1875 the Broggis were called to realize an original cutlery model for the new Hotel Confortable inaugurated in Milan by the Marchese Flori. This was followed by orders for numerous other establishments.

In 1884 Broggi became a supplier of cutlery and tableware for the mess halls of the officers and non-commissioned officers of the Royal Italian Navy, and in 1886 obtained the prize titled to Professor Brambilla from the Royal Lombardo Institute of Sciences and Letters “For having introduced the silver industry in Italy and for having led it to such proportions and such perfection as to bring a real and proven advantage to the Country.”

Thus came the moment to broaden horizons, turning attention to international markets. In 1888 the company moved to the current headquarters on Via Fratelli Broggi, simultaneously inaugurating the Corso Vittorio Emanuele shop. In 1906 Broggi became a Joint-Stock Company, without ever losing the family spirit and the authentic passion from which this 200-year adventure was born. Meanwhile, collaboration with officials from the Navigazione Company increased maritime supplies.

But Broggi is not only about silverware. The forward-looking approach and research opened doors to a new important field of production: stainless steel, which at the time was largely used in the hospital sector.

Stainless steel cutlery was produced starting in 1950.

After the post-war crisis, as demand rose, Broggi built a huge plant to expand production and respond to foreign markets.

Meanwhile, Broggi-branded objects began to spread on the most refined tables throughout Italy.

In 1993 the company was acquired by the Bertoli family, already owners of the Abert group, whose family tradition managed to exalt the nature of the company.

Thus Broggi continues its course, relying on new structures and strategic tools capable of ensuring its alignment with market demands.

A constant pursuit of innovative design, genuine Made in Italy quality, and know-how are still the guarantee of success for the company at the national level, where it is a market leader, and on the international stage, thanks to a presence in as many as 80 countries with important contracts for luxury hotel chains, Michelin-starred restaurants, and shipping companies.