“Il Maselli”, framing Florence from 1955

Via De’ Ginori 51r, Firenze

It is certainly not a case that the doors of Bottega Maselli (Maselli boutique) open onto one of the most famous streets of the historic center of Florence: a street dotted with historic buildings, with facades decorated with cherubs and festoons, art workshops and gathering places.

The name of Gabriele Maselli is just as known as the street in which his father, Paolo, founded the bottega in 1955: just name "Il Maselli" and any Florentine would start daydreaming and telling about how his/her family keeps one of Maselli’s wooden frames in their livingroom.

They ask me if I know that Maselli’s wooden frames adorn the artistic masterpieces of the Duomo of Florence and I reply that I know it very well, because it was Gabriele Maselli himself who told me about it!

I fell in love with Maselli’s frames from the first moment they were mentioned to me, years ago, in a university lecture as a symbol of historical savoir-faire to be considered a Florentine and Italian precious heritage. With hand gestures by millimeter precision, Gabriele Maselli and his two young sons create and restore precious artistic masterpieces.. even if I think it is appropriate to say that the "treasures" we are here to talk about are them: Gabriele and his family.

Gabriele is an exquisite, friendly and humble man. He did not hesitate to open the doors of his laboratory to me and take me behind the scenes of his historical work. At the street entrance to the shop, countless frames and finished masterpieces give a warm welcome, but entering the workshop at the back, where beauty is forged, is where you daydream. I honestly didn't think there were so many different types of chisels and work tools, each with its own specific function.

Observing the manufacturing process, among the unfinished wood samples, the chisels, the brushes, the glues, the colors, the scattered drawings, that is the real privilege.. that opens the eyes and the heart!

I asked permission to watch them work, blending into the corners of the laboratory. Something that is daily work for them, which for me represented a moment of pure awareness.

The wood took shape under the hands of Gabriele and Tommaso (the eldest son), who sculpted and modeled with gestures of a refined and precise technique, whose gracefulness, delicacy and effortlessness, reminded me of the hands of a pianist or a violinist.

Here, I believe that in cases like these the work of the craftsman is comparable to the work of the musician, in which technique, time, dedication and passion come together in a sublime and hypnotic union. A deep emotional vision.

Under the roof of Bottega Maselli three generations of frame builders carry on an historical artisanal tradition of woodcrafting; their exquisite and unique manual savoir-faire shapes precious frames for Florentine and international masterpieces. They are also the reference point for the restoration of historical frames and paintings of unspeakable value.
It takes decades to master the technique and weeks to create one single piece, destined to be timeless. It is for this reason that Gabriele commits himself every day to educate his young sons and teach them not only a technique, but a savoir-fare, a sensitivity, of which they will be guardians.

I admit that watching two young boys working with such passion to follow in the footsteps of their father and grandfather warmed my heart. It is very essential for my generation (Tommaso is just a little younger than me) and those who will follow not to forget our roots, our heritage and constantly do our best to adapt it to the contemporary scenario.

Being born and raised surrounded by so much Beauty is a privilege, because it opens up levels of sensitivity and empathy that not everyone has the opportunity to have access to.

The more we talked, the more topics opened up, as did the drawers in which Gabriele keeps prototypes and unique pieces. Among the narrow passages of the laboratory the most precious of treasures could be hidden.

It is no coincidence that Gabriele has been adorned as a “Master of Art and Craft” by the Italian foundation Fondazione Cologni (who else but him!) and is actively involved in training the artisans of tomorrow in the conservation of traditional techniques in the contemporary scenario.

I would like to thank Gabriele Maselli not only for having welcomed me as a family friend and for having opened the doors of his world to me with kindness and openness; I thank him on behalf of whoever is doing their part today to keep alive the love for Beauty. I thank him for the commitment with which he works every day so that his and others savoir-faires are understood and preserved, in Italy and in the world.

Bottega Maselli

Via De’ Ginori 51r, 50123 Firenze
Website | E-shop: www.cornicimaselli.com
Instagram: @cornicimaselli
Photo credits: Ph, Caterina Gualtieri