A particularly rare Christofle silver-plated tazza or centrepiece with its original cocktail pick, made for the Hotel Llao Llao at San Carlos de Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina, circa 1938.

The tazza is formed as a shallow circular dish raised on a short pedestal foot, accompanied by a long slender cocktail pick with a circular terminal. Both pieces are stamped by Christofle and carry the distinctive Hotel Llao Llao insignia, directly linking them to the celebrated Patagonian hotel.

The present tazza and cocktail pick have an unusually well-documented history. They are the actual pieces illustrated in two publications by Mo Amelia Teitelbaum.

They appear in The Stylemakers: Minimalism and Classic Modernism 1915–1945, p.196, where they are identified as the centrepiece and cocktail stick stamped “LLAO LLAO”, made for the hotel by the French silversmith Christofle. The same objects are also illustrated in Jean-Michel Frank: Une aventure sud-américaine, p.172, alongside a period photograph of the Hotel Llao Llao reading rooms.

The pieces appear to be particularly rare. Despite considerable research, we have not been able to locate another example, period photograph or published reference to this particular Christofle design outside these two publications. Whether produced in very small numbers or simply surviving in very limited quantities, they appear to have formed part of a specific commission for the hotel.

The original Hotel Llao Llao was designed by the Argentine architect Alejandro Bustillo, with COMTE involved in the interior furnishing and Jean-Michel Frank closely associated with the decorative programme. Frank developed furniture for the hotel that combined the restraint of his European work with local materials and a more rustic character.

We have not found documentation establishing whether these particular Christofle pieces were designed, selected or personally approved by Frank. It is, however, possible that they formed part of the wider decorative programme undertaken for the hotel. Their restrained form, absence of unnecessary ornament and emphasis on proportion and material sit comfortably within the minimal aesthetic associated with Frank’s work during this period.

We particularly like the simplicity of the design. There is very little ornament beyond the hotel insignia, allowing the proportion, polished surface and pedestal form to carry the object. The long cocktail pick sits almost graphically across the shallow dish, giving the piece a particularly elegant and modern appearance.

The tazza and cocktail pick remain in good vintage condition. The silver-plated surfaces show light age-related wear and small marks consistent with use, but remain very well presented. The pieces have been professionally cleaned and polished while retaining the signs of age expected from objects made for use in a hotel environment.

The fact that these are the published examples gives the pair an unusually strong documented history. Rather than simply being examples of Christofle production for Hotel Llao Llao, these are the actual objects illustrated in two published references documenting this aspect of the hotel and its decorative programme.

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