Set of Four #116 Dining Chairs by Gio Ponti
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer),M. Singer & Sons (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 17 in (43.18 cm)Depth: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Walnut frames are in wonderful vintage condition. Rush seats are damaged on 2 of the chairs.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:
Gio Ponti
An architect, furniture and industrial designer and editor, Gio Ponti was arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century Italian modernism.
Ponti (1891–1979) designed thousands of furnishings and products — from cabinets, lamps and chairs to ceramics and coffeemakers — and his buildings, including the brawny Pirelli Tower (1956) in his native Milan, and the castle-like Denver Art Museum (1971), were erected in 14 countries. Through Domus, the magazine he founded in 1928, Ponti brought attention to virtually every significant movement and creator in the spheres of modern art and design.
The questing intelligence Ponti brought to Domus is reflected in his work: as protean as he was prolific, Ponti’s style can’t be pegged to a specific genre. In the 1920s, as artistic director for the Tuscan porcelain maker Richard Ginori, he fused old and new; his ceramic forms were modern, but decorated with motifs from Roman antiquity. In pre-war Italy, modernist design was encouraged, and after the conflict, Ponti — along with designers such as Carlo Mollino, Franco Albini, Marco Zanuso — found a receptive audience for their novel, idiosyncratic work. Ponti’s typical furniture forms from the period, such as the wedge-shaped Distex chair, are simple, gently angular, and colorful; equally elegant and functional. In the 1960s and ’70s, Ponti’s style evolved again as he explored biomorphic shapes, and embraced the expressive, experimental designs of Ettore Sottsass Jr., Joe Colombo and others.
His signature furniture piece — the one by which he is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Germany’s Vitra Design Museum and elsewhere — is the sleek Superleggera chair, produced by Cassina starting in 1957. (The name translates as “superlightweight” — advertisements featured a model lifting it with one finger.) Ponti had a playful side, best shown in a collaboration he began in the late 1940s with the graphic artist Piero Fornasetti. Ponti furnishings were decorated with bright finishes and Fornasetti's whimsical lithographic transfer prints of things such as butterflies, birds or flowers; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts possesses a 1950 secretary from their Architetturra series, which feature case pieces covered in images of building interiors and facades. The grandest project Ponti and Fornasetti undertook, however, lies on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean: the interiors of the luxury liner Andrea Doria, which sank in 1956.
Widely praised retrospectives at the Queens Museum of Art in 2001 and at the Design Museum London in 2002 sparked a renewed interest in Ponti among modern design aficionados. (Marco Romanelli’s monograph written for the London show, offers a fine overview of Ponti’s work.) Today, a wide array of Ponti’s designs are snapped up by savvy collectors who want to give their homes a touch of Italian panache and effortless chic.
Find a range of Gio Ponti furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: San Francisco, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- "Leggera" Chairs by Gio Ponti for CassinaBy Gio PontiLocated in San Francisco, CAA pair of dining chairs by Gio Ponti in ash with rush seats woven in a basket weave pattern, all retaining their original label. Priced for the pair.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRush, Ash
- Set of 8 W2 Dining Chairs by Hans J WegnerBy Hans J. WegnerLocated in San Francisco, CAA set of eight W2 oak dining chairs featuring an inset black upholstered seat and tapered legs. Stamped C M Madsens, made in Denmark, Hans J Wegner.Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Set of Six Dining Armchairs by Michael GravesBy Michael Graves (b.1934)Located in San Francisco, CASet of six dining armchairs by Michael Graves. A very rare set of six armchairs designed by Michael Graves and manufactured by Atelier International. The frame is a matte black lacq...Category
20th Century American Post-Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Dining Chairs by Niels Otto MollerBy Niels Otto MøllerLocated in San Francisco, CAA set of 6 dining chairs by designer Niels O. Moller (#71) in teak with black leather seats.Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Teak
- Set of 6 "Pirkka" Chairs by Ilmari TapiovaaraBy Ilmari TapiovaaraLocated in San Francisco, CAA set of 6 "Pirkka" chairs by Ilmari Tapiovaara A set of Ilmari Tapiovaara design dining chairs, from the series "Pirkka". The sculptural design, is made in pine and black lacquered...Category
Vintage 1950s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPine
- Set of 6 Jorge Pensi "Gorka" ChairBy Jorge PensiLocated in San Francisco, CAA fully Leather-upholstered high-back version of the GORKA chair by Jorge Pensi for AKABA. Clad in Leather with polished aluminum arms, this chair is supremely comfortable and eve...Category
20th Century Spanish Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Set of Four Chairs, model 211 by Gio Ponti for Singer & SonsBy M. Singer & Sons, Gio PontiLocated in Dallas, TXSert of four dining chairs model 211 designed by Gio Ponti, 1955 for Singer & Sons. The model 211 chair was originally designed for Villa Arreaza in Caracas in 1954. Chairs are const...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Gio Ponti Dining Chairs for Singer & Sons Set of SixBy Gio Ponti, M. Singer & SonsLocated in Chicago, ILGio Ponti dining chairs for Singer & Sons Set of Six Set includes two armchairs, model 149 and four side chairs, model 116 Refurbished walnut frames, newly...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMohair, Walnut
- Leggera Dining Chairs by Gio Ponti for Cassina - Set of FourBy Cassina, Gio PontiLocated in Milano, ITGiò Ponti needs no introduction: He's been arguably the most influential personality in Italian design and architecture for almost three decades, from the Fifties throughout the Seve...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- Early Set of Four Superleggera Chairs by Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Los Angeles, CAHistorical set of four Superleggera chairs by Gio Ponti with original caning and black lacquered wood frame. Made in Italy circa 1957.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Wood
- Gio Ponti Set of Four Leggera Dining Chairs by Cassina 1951 ItalyBy Gio Ponti, CassinaLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITSet of four Leggera dining chairs with structure in black lacquered wood and seat in padded blue leatherette, designed by Gio Ponti and manufactured by Cassina in 1951. Leggera is a...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFaux Leather, Wood
- A rare set of Gio Ponti dining chairs.By Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYManufacturer: Cassina model #601 Date made: circa 1950 Material: walnut and fabric Size: 17.5”w x 20”d x 34”h Country: Italy Literature: Gio Ponti. Ugo La Pietra. Rizzoli Milan...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Barnaba Fornasetti’s Hallucinatory House Has His Father’s Spirit
Behind a nondescript facade in northeastern Milan is the magical residence of Barnaba Fornasetti. It's a shrine to the style developed by his design-legend father, which still defies categorization.
Billy Cotton Layers His Interiors with Lived-In Comfort
The Brooklyn-based designer is adept at styles ranging from austere to over-the-top, espousing an architectural, detail-oriented approach also evident in his line of furniture and lighting.