These unique Greek craft marble fish slabs are the perfect Christmas stocking stuffers
Meet the piscine-themed knickknacks your credenza's been crying out for
There’s something fishy on the Greek island of Syros, and it isn’t the halibut.
On a stealth shopping mission to Ermoupoli, the uncharacteristically sleek capital of the Cycladic archipelago, I wandered into Cantina Analogue Aegean Grocery and Bistro, which is the kind of buzzy hipster spot that makes the urban topography of this place a lot more interesting than what you’ll find in more cliched islands in this neck of the watery Med woods. The bar area looks like this:
I intended to select a pre-ferry snack from the creative menu but was distracted by the sight of a series of brightly colored fish of various species painted onto irregularly shaped slabs of white marble. Some wer placed on the tables, others were “swimming” amidst the various island products displayed on the shelves:
Turns out these unique items are handmade by Cantina Analogue’s owner, who hails from the neighboring island of Tinos—famous since antiquity for its vast reserves of marble. The fish are painted by hand onto Tinos marble, and no two pieces are alike. Straddling the line between whimsical and sophisticated, they make for a perfect deluxe stocking stuffer this Christmas. Use them to add some élan to your kitchen counter or office space, or even use as a cutting board or outlandish paperweight. You can buy one slab, or collect a bunch to create your own set. They’re not as pricey as you might think.
Also, I would like to see this unique “slab” of Syros street art embroidered onto a sweater or blanket: how neat would that be? Usually you’ll find work by #Same in
Athens, but as the aforementioned marvelous fish reveal, Syros is one Aegean island just chock full of surprises.
