Small porcelain sculpture depicting a crouching shrew, with a compact body, large erect ears, and a long, pointed muzzle, modeled atop a tall, cubic base. The fur is defined by a dense succession of fine incisions, repeated and enhanced by minute gold lines that accentuate the modeling and vibrant graphic rendering; additional gold highlights emphasize the eyes, the edges of the ears, the muzzle, and the paws, enriching the rigorous white and gold duotone with refined lighting effects. The long tail, clinging to the body, sinuously rests on the top of the base. The subject, conceived by Gio Ponti and sculpted by Italo Griselli in 1927, is part of the celebrated animalier production developed during Ponti’s artistic direction of Richard-Ginori. The gold decoration, superimposed on the white porcelain modeling, gives the piece a particularly rich graphic and luminous effect, enhancing sculptural details that in the monochrome version are left to the sole relief. A white porcelain piece of the same model was exhibited at the MIC in Faenza in the exhibition “Gio Ponti. Ceramiche 1922–1967” (2024) and published in the related catalog.

Doccia, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence); 1928.