Coffee Table by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte

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Coffee Table by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte

About the Item

Coffee Table in carved walnut with blue mirrored glass top (Fontana Arte glass color ref: Parsol Argentato) by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, Italy c. 1936 (model illustrated Franco Deboni, Fontana Arte, Allemandi, Turin, 2012, fig: 156) In 1932, celebrated glass artist Pietro Chiesa was invited by Gio Ponti to serve as director of a new division of the venerable Italian glass maker Luigi Fontana SA, specializing in modern furnishings of exceptional quality, named Fontana Arte. He would remain in the role until his early demise in 1948, during which time he would play a fundamental role in the foundation of an extraordinary avant-garde company that would have a monumental impact on the history of Italian design. In his own words in 1942: "Fontana Arte was founded nine years ago by grafting the Bottega of Pietro Chiesa, art glass producer, onto the trunk of Luigi Fontana & C., famous for half a century for cutting, curving and silver-plating glass. This begot a group of artists/technicians, perhaps unique in the world, that became a leader with its impeccably crafted products, elegant lines and original inventiveness. Fontana Arte, in addition to all the processing of plate glass (curving, mirrored, heat, acid and cold-etched decoration) and solid glass (cutting, sculpture, sandblast, wheel, acid and diamond etching), created special laboratories which inside the factory prepare the metal and wood parts required for its creations. The secret of this result, with strictly mass production processing, is simply the love of our craft that united in an atmosphere of affection for the work of every single one of Fontana's artist/technicians (including the humblest workman). If we realize that an apparently simple article was often given the care of fifteen to twenty experts, of glass, metal, wood, and that each one, given the difficulty of execution (perhaps even under water), often did not use any other measuring instrument than their eye and skill, if we realize that each one of these super-experts worked with such a deep understanding of the previous companion's work to prepare that the next one, so that the item seems to us to have been created by a single hand and a single mind, then we feel like calling it a miracle, the Italian miracle!" (Ref: Franco Deboni, Fontana Arte, Allemandi, Turin, 2012, p: 16).

Creator:
Pietro Chiesa (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)Width: 49 in (124.46 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
Style:
Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Glass,Mirror,Walnut
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1936
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Sag Harbor, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU968431100332