Italian Armoire by Gio Ponti for P. Lietti, 1928
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 71.66 in (182 cm)Width: 39.77 in (101 cm)Depth: 20.48 in (52 cm)
- Style:Art Deco (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1927-1928
- Condition:Refinished. Repaired.
- Seller Location:Meda, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2103333923132
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: Meda, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Italian dresser by Gio Ponti for P. Lietti, 1928By Luigi Brusotti, Paolo Lietti & Figli, Gio PontiLocated in Meda, MBThis dresser was produced in Italy, in Cantù (small village in the north of Italy, next to Milan), by Paolo Lietti & Figli and designed by Gio Ponti. It features a mirror manufacture...Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Art Deco Dressers
MaterialsBronze
- Italian Art Deco Set by Gio Ponti for P. Lietti, 1928By Luigi Brusotti, Paolo Lietti & Figli, Gio PontiLocated in Meda, MBThis set was produced in Italy, in Cantù (small village in the north of Italy, next to Milan), by Paolo Lietti & Figli and designed by Gio Ponti. It features a mirror manufactured by Luigi Brusotti a matching dresser and an armoire...Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Art Deco Bedroom Sets
MaterialsBronze
- Italian Walnut Mirror by Gio Ponti and L. Brusotti for P. Lietti, 1928Located in Meda, MBThis mirror was produced in Italy, in Cantù (small village in the north of Italy, next to Milan), by Paolo Lietti & Figli and designed by Gio Ponti. This mirror in particular was m...Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Art Deco Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Walnut
- Italian Art Deco Parchment and Walnut Dye Armoire, att. to Ulrich, 1930sBy Guglielmo UlrichLocated in Meda, MBThis stunning Art Deco Armoire was produced in Italy and it is attributable to Guglielmo Ulrich. It is completely covered in Parchment (goat skin) and has details, such as the handl...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Art Deco Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsMaple, Walnut, Parchment Paper
- 1950s Italian Credenza by 'La Permanente Mobili Cantù', InThe Style Of Gio PontiBy Gio PontiLocated in Meda, MBRare high sideboard from the 1950s produced in Italy in Cantù by the company 'F.lli Cappelletti fu Natale' for the 'Permanente Mobili Cantù' most likely based on a design by Gio Pont...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Art Deco Walnut Briar, Black Lacquer, Metal and Gold Sideboard, 1930sBy Gio PontiLocated in Meda, MBThis Art Deco sideboard was produced in Italy in the 1930s and it is in the style of Gio Ponti. It is covered with an elegant walnut briar that is framed by a reeded black lacquered...Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Art Deco Sideboards
MaterialsMetal, Gold Leaf
- Gio Ponti Wardrobe, 1960sBy Gio PontiLocated in Milano, LombardiaThe Gio Ponti Wardrobe from the 1960s epitomizes mid-century modern sophistication and functional artistry. Crafted under the visionary eye of Itali...Category
Vintage 1960s Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsWood
- Gio Ponti Italian Post-War Rosewood & Mahogany CabinetBy Gio PontiLocated in New York, NYItalian Post-War Design (1950s) rosewood and mahogany wall unit bar with 3 lower commodes and upper cabinet decorative tiles on white lacquered door...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Buffets
MaterialsRosewood, Mahogany, Mirror, Lacquer
- 18th Century French Provincial Oak ArmoireLocated in High Point, NCMagnificent cabinetry and statuesque proportions give this antique oak armoire a captivating presence. When it was built in 18th Century France, fu...Category
Antique 18th Century French French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsOak
- Giò Ponti in the Manner Italian Midcentury Coat Racks 50'sBy Gio PontiLocated in bari, ITWalnut wood structure coat rack with brass table anchored to the structure, embellished with brass circles creating harmony in the wooden panel. Crystal hood with brass anchors. 1950...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Early 18th Century Regence Cupboard Armoire BuffetLocated in Vosselaar, BEA great early 18th century French oak two-door armoire with a buffet interior. The exterior beautifully sculpted and the interior with blue paint.Category
Antique Early 18th Century French Louis XIV Buffets
MaterialsOak
- Gio’ Ponti “ Stile “ Bedside Tables Brass Wood Glass 1950 ItalyBy Gio PontiLocated in Milano, ITGio ‘ Ponti “Stile “ bedside tables brass wood glass 1950 Italy.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Other Buffets
MaterialsBrass
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.