Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Brass and Sheepskin Small Stool, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Gio Ponti (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Diameter: 9.85 in (25 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Puglia, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4426132582152
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: Puglia, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- After Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet Small Sofa, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaSmall sofa in Gio Ponti style Italian production of the 1950s, upholstered in cream-colored velvet, feet in natural beech.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
- Mid-Century Modern Italian Brass and Plexiglass Stool, 1950Located in Puglia, PugliaThis Italian stool dates back to the 1950s and is made of solid brass and white plexiglass.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Attributed Gio Ponti Mid-Century Italian Mahogany and Brass Bar Cabinet, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaSuperb bar cabinet attributed to Gio Ponti, in mahogany and maple and brass inlays, the central glass has a mirror around it and a central engraving, which represents infinity, a typ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dry Bars
MaterialsBrass
- Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian Velvet "Alata" Lounge Chair, 1950sBy Cassina, Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaBergère armchair, Alata Mod. 820 armchair, designed by Gio Ponti for the Royal Hotel in Naples and produced by Cassina, Italy, 1950. Completely restored and recently upholstered in v...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
- Gio Ponti N. 512 Mid-Century Modern Italian Sofa for ISA, 1950sBy Gio Ponti, ISA BergamoLocated in Puglia, PugliaElegant and splendid three-seater sofa with high backrest by Gio Ponti, 1950s, for ISA Edizioni, Bergamo, model N. 512. Carved profile, refined lines, sensual and deep comfort. The u...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBeech, Fabric
- Attributed Gio Ponti Mid-Century Modern Italian High Back Sofa, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Puglia, PugliaThree-seater sofa attributed Gio Ponti, production in the early 1950s, with high backrest, the upholstery is in velvet but replacement is recommended, feet and structure in beech.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Beech
- Gio Ponti Set of Two Stools in Black Lacquered Wood and Fabric 1950s ItalyBy Gio PontiLocated in Montecatini Terme, ITSet of two stools with legs in black lacquered wood and seats upholstered in light blue fabric. Attribuited to Gio Ponti, Italian Manufacture 1950s Gio Ponti was an icon of the m...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Mid Century Trapeze Wood Stools, Italy, 1950sBy Osvaldo BorsaniLocated in SAINT-OUEN, FRFine Italian Modernist mid century trapeze wood poufs stools or benches attributed to Osvaldo Borsani. In the mood of Gio Ponti, Achille and Pier Giacomo Cas...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsWood
- Stools in Mid-Century Italian Gold Brass Gold Velvet 1950s Gio Ponti StyleBy Gio PontiLocated in Palermo, SicilyPair of beautiful Italian 1950s stools with a sober and classy elegant style attributed to Gio Ponti.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Italian Gio Ponti Inspired PoufsBy Marco Zanuso, Minotti, Federico Munari, Gio Ponti, ISA BergamoLocated in Houston, TXGreat sculptural pair of Italian Gio Ponti inspired round poufs, ottomans, stools or benches. This stunning pair of vintage Italian midcentury ottomans...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rattan Pouf Stool Franco Albini attr Italy, 1950sBy Franco AlbiniLocated in Vienna, ATA mid century modern vintage rattan pouf or stool, which was designed attributed to Franco Albini. Italy 1950s. The rattan pouf is very stable, although it looks like lightweight. F...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
MaterialsRattan
- Gio Ponti Attribution, Stool, Walnut, Fabric, Italy, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in High Point, NCA walnut and beige fabric stool, design attributed to Gio Ponti, Italy, 1950s.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
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.