Description

The Bordallo Pinheiro Artichoke Box is a lidded earthenware container shaped like a tightly closed artichoke. Overlapping leaves form the base and continue across the removable upper section, allowing the entire piece to resemble a ceramic vegetable when closed. Designed as part of Francisco Vieira Martins’ Artichoke collection, it extends Bordallo Pinheiro’s long history of turning familiar produce into functional tableware.

Each leaf is modeled in relief and painted by hand in changing shades of green. Purple accents around the crown reproduce the color variation of a real artichoke, while the glossy glaze makes the raised edges and recessed veins more visible. The decoration continues around the entire form, so the box can stand at the center of a table or on an open shelf without a less-finished rear side.

The two sizes serve noticeably different purposes. The Small stands 6.7 inches high and holds 1 liter. On a dining table, it can contain nuts, olives, sugar cubes, wrapped chocolates, or after-dinner mints. On a desk or bedside table, it provides a covered place for keys, rings, a watch, earbuds, charging adapters, and the other small objects that usually remain scattered in view.

The Large measures almost 10 inches high and holds 3.25 liters. Use it on a kitchen counter for coffee capsules, tea sachets, or wrapped snacks; on a bar cart for cocktail napkins, coasters, wine charms, and bottle openers; or at the table for bread rolls, cookies, and an assortment of after-dinner sweets. It also makes an unusually good gift container: place the present inside, replace the leafy lid, and the packaging becomes part of the gift.

For a dinner party, the box can remain closed as the centerpiece and then be opened when dessert or coffee arrives. The reveal is especially effective with amaretti, chocolates, candied citrus, or individually wrapped treats. Unlike a conventional serving bowl, the contents remain concealed until they are needed.

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