Italian Midcentury Pietro Chiesa Fontana Art Glass Gilt Brass 5-Light Chandelier
About the Item
- Creator:Fontana Arte (Manufacturer)
- Attributed to:Pietro Chiesa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 49.22 in (125 cm)Width: 32.29 in (82 cm)Depth: 7.88 in (20 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1940-1959
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Coimbra, PT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2638319587962
Fontana Arte
Best known for its elegant and innovative vintage lighting fixtures, the Milan-based firm Fontana Arte pioneered one of the key features of 20th-century and contemporary Italian design: the union of artistry and industry wrought by partnerships between creative talents — chiefly architects — and entrepreneurial businesses. Fontana Arte is further distinguished by having had as artistic director, in succession, four of Italy’s most inventive modernist designers: Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, French transplant Max Ingrand and Gae Aulenti.
The bread and butter of the glassmaking company that Luigi Fontana founded in 1881 was plate-glass panels for the construction industry. In 1930, Fontana met Ponti — then the artistic director of the Richard Ginori ceramics workshop and the editor of the influential magazine Domus — at a biannual design exhibition that became the precursor to today’s Milan Design Triennale, and the two hatched an idea for a furniture and housewares firm. Fontana Arte was incorporated in 1932 with Ponti as its chief of design. He contributed several lamps that remain among the company’s signature works, including the orb-atop-cone Bilia table lamp and the 0024 pendant — a stratified hanging sphere.
The following year, Fontana Arte partnered with the influential Milan studio glassmaker and retailer Pietro Chiesa, who took over as artistic director. Chiesa’s designs for lighting — as well as for tables and items including vases and ashtrays — express an appreciation for fluidity and simplicity of line, as seen in works such as his flute-shaped Luminator floor lamp and the 1932 Fontana table — an arched sheet of glass that is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Six years after Chiesa’s 1948 death, the École des Beaux Arts–trained Max Ingrand took over as head of design at Fontana Arte. Ingrand brought a similarly expressive formal sensibility to wares such as lamps and mirrors, but he also had a masterful eye for the manipulation of glass surfaces — whether they be cut, frosted, acid-etched or sand-blasted. His classic design is the Fontana table lamp of 1954, which has a truncated cone shade and curved body, both of which are made of pure, chic white-frosted glass.
Following Ingrand, the often-audacious Italian architect Gae Aulenti served as the company’s artistic director from 1979 to 1996, and while she generally insisted that furnishings take second place aesthetically to architecture, she made an exception for Fontana Arte pieces such as the Tavolo con Ruote series of glass coffee and dining tables on wheels, bold lighting pieces such as the Parola series and the Giova, a combination flower vase and table lamp. As a key incubator of modern design under Aulenti’s tenure, Fontana Arte remained true to its long-held commitment — creating objects that have never been less than daring.
Find vintage Fontana Arte lighting fixtures such as pendants, table lamps and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Coimbra, Portugal
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Italian Midcentury Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Art Glass 6-Light Chandelier c1940By Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Coimbra, PTA large Mid-Century Modern vintage Suspension lamp Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte. Main structure in solid brass, with 2 curved discs of etched...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Aluminum
- Italian Midcentury Attr to Pietro Chiesa Fontana Art Deco Gilt Chandelier c1950By Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Coimbra, PTThis Mid-Century Modern chandelier from the 1950s is attributed to Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte. This original Elongated large it is flanked by two etched glass on each side. The s...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Midcentury Gio Ponti for Fontana Art Glass Gilt Brass 8-Light ChandelierBy Fontana Arte, Gio PontiLocated in Coimbra, PTThis original brass chandelier from the 1950s is attributed to Gio Ponti (1891-1979) and Emilio Lancia (1890-1973). Made of solid polished brass, white lacquered aluminum and 8 bevel...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum, Brass
- Large Italian Max Ingrand Fontana Art Style Smoked Glass 13-Light ChandelierBy Fontana Arte, Max IngrandLocated in Coimbra, PTThis fabulous Mid-Century Modern chandelier from the 1970s is attributed to Fontana Arte. It holds 13 candelabra sockets. Vintage condition, some patina to the brass and a few flea ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Large Italian Smoked Amber Glass Flowers in Fontana Art Style 15Light ChandelierBy Max Ingrand, Fontana ArteLocated in Coimbra, PTFabulous Mid-Century Modern chandelier from the 1970s in the style of Fontana Arte. It holds 15 candelabra sockets. Vintage condition, some patina to the brass and a few flea bites ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- Vintage Midcentury Italian Murano Flower Bouquet Art Glass Gilt Brass ChandelierBy VeniniLocated in Coimbra, PT1970s vintage Italian Murano flower bouquet after Venini art-glass/ hand-blow white and clear glass flowers and gold-plated brass. Measures: Diameter 18 in/ 45 cm Height 34 in (24 in...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury Chandelier Brass & Glass Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, Italy 1950sBy Pietro Chiesa, Fontana ArteLocated in Rome, ITMidcentury chandelier in brass and glass attributed to Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte. Made in Italy in the 1950s. The chandelier features three E 14 light bulbs.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Fontana Arte, Italian Midcentury, Glass Chandelier after Pietro Chiesa, 1940sBy Pietro Chiesa, Fontana ArteLocated in Milan, ITEtched glass three-leaf chandelier after Pietro Chiesa, 1940s. The fixture features delicate pieces of milky hand blown glass elements tethered to a gilt brass structure, each of wh...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Midcentury Italian Patinated Brass Fontana Arte Pendant Light by Pietro ChiesaBy Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Chicago, ILMidcentury Italian Patinated Brass Fontana Arte Pendant Light, attributed to Pietro Chiesa, 1941. Sculpted from patinated brass tubing and...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Midcentury Modern Brass & Glass Pendant by Pietro Chiesa & Fontana ArteBy Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in New York, NYElegant, timeless Italian Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical brass and sanitized glass chandelier / pendant by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, circa 1935-1940. The piece features a uni...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Fontana Arte Murano Glass and Brass Italian Chandelier, Pietro Chiesa, 1940sBy Pietro Chiesa, Fontana ArteLocated in Roma, ITMagnificent Italian large chandelier in solid brass and engraved Murano crystal glass. This fantastic piece was designed by Pietro Chiesa in Italy during the 1940s for Fontana Arte. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Artisan Chandelier Blue Glass Brass Style Pietro Chiesa Fontana Arte, Italy 1950By Fontana Arte, Pietro ChiesaLocated in Vienna, ATUnique artisan 93" long chandelier, Italy circa 1950-1955 One of a kind custom-made and very long chandelier, perfect for over a large dining t...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass