Fontana Arte Furniture
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.
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Creator: Fontana Arte
Centrotavola in Vetro Nello Stile Di Fontana Arte, 1980
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, MI
Centrotavola in vetro nello stile di Fontana Arte, 1980
Produttore Fontana Arte
Periodo del design 1980 - 1989
Anno 1980
Periodo di produzione Ignoto
Paese di produzione Ita...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Glass
"Pugno" Metal Table Lamp Model 2545 by Richard Carruthers for Fontana Arte, 1970
By Richard Carruthers, Fontana Arte
Located in Milan, IT
Rare "Pugno" table lamp model 2545 by Richard Carruthers for Fontana Arte. Early 1970s piece with Gino Sarfatti craquele surface finish influence.
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Pietro Chiesa 0836 Table Lamp Fontana Arte, Italy, 1939
By Fontana Arte, Pietro Chiesa
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare table lamp designed by Pietro Chiesa and manufactured by Fontana Arte, Italy, 1933. The original design is from 1939, this lamp is from the 1960s. The lamp has very nice patinat...
Category
1930s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
1960s Fontana Arte Magazine Rack
By Fontana Arte
Located in New York, NY
A smoked glass magazine rack with a curved brass frame featuring tapered legs and handle. From the 1960s-1970s made by the Italian design company Font...
Category
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
Umbrella Stand Holder by Fontana Arte, Italy, circa 1940
By Fontana Arte
Located in Paris, France
Very rare and beautiful 1940s umbrella stand by Fontana Arte, with a brass frame
and four sheet of glass etched with a delicate umbrellas engraved on the glass.
A gilded metal base...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
Fontana Arte Chandelier Brass Glass 1960 Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte.
Category
1960s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
EQUATORE - Medium Table Lamp - Galvanized Metal Body by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Equatore is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic lamp with a glass shade. While the traditional abat-jour uses the shade to contain the light source within, in this family ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Fontana Arte Coat Hanger for Entrance or Bathroom Metal Crome Wood Glass 1970 IT
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte coat hanger for entrance or bathroom metal crome wood glass 1970 Italy.
Category
1970s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Glass
Eugenio Gentili Tedeschi For Fontana Arte “Yoyo” Table Lamp, 1970s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Renens, CH
Table lamp named “Yoyo”, consisting of a red coated metal structure with two round glass inserts:
This lamp originates from the 1970s and was produced in Italy. The design is attributed to Eugenio Gentili Tedeschi...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Fontana Arte Powder Cipria Glass Wood, 1940, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte powder cipria glass wood, 1940, Italy.
Category
1940s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Glass
Fontana Arte Coppa Cristallo Grosso Spessore Curvato, 1959, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte Coppa Cristallo di grosso spessore, curvato, molato, 1959, Italy.
Category
1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Glass
Mid-century modern coffee table by Gianni Celada for Fontana Arte, Italy, 1970s
By Gianni Celada, Fontana Arte
Located in Nicolosi, IT
Brama Wooden Coffee Table by Gianni Celada for Fontana Arte, Italy, 1970s
Elegant and sophisticated, this Brama coffee table, designed by Gianni Celada for Fontana Arte in the 1970s...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
AVICO - Large Suspension Lamp - White Polymer Shade by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Suspension lamp with diffused and dimmable light. Chromed metal frame. White polyethylene diffuser. Available separately a optional polycarbonate locking disc with telescopic stem an...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Fontana Arte Coat Hooks
By Fontana Arte
Located in Red Lion, PA
Pair of original Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte coat hangers, Italy, 1960.
mod. 1779
Nickeled brass and beveled glass.
Literature: Quaderni di Fontana Arte, n. 2, p. 46.
Category
1960s Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
Table Lamp Ashangai Model by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, Italy
By Fontana Arte, Max Ingrand
Located in Milan, Italy
This extremely elegant table lamp was designed by Max Ingrand in 1955, during the period when this French maestro was artistic director at Fontana Arte. Joints in chromed brass hold ...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
EQUATORE - Small Table Lamp - Galvanized Metal Base Chrome by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Equatore is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic lamp with a glass shade. While the traditional abat-jour uses the shade to contain the light source within, in this family ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Tropico - Medium Table Lamp - Gray Marble Base Black Top, Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The "shape of light" is the central theme of this project by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti, which began with the Equatore family of lamps, presented in 2017 and now expanded to include ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Marble, Metal
FONTANA 1853 - Medium Table Lamp - White Satin Glass by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Designed in 1954 by the famous French Master glassmaker and decorator Max Ingrand, this lamp was originally named 1853 and, at a later time, Fontana, in homage to the company of whic...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Duilio Bernabè known Dubè coffee table eglomized glass for Fontana Arte 1960s
By Fontana Arte, Duilio Dubé Bernabe
Located in Milan, IT
Duilio Bernabè known as Dubè was an artist who worked for Fontana Arte, among others, employing the eglomizing technique to decorate the painted back of glass panels and small tables...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Brass
EQUATORE - Small Floor Lamp - Galvanized Metal Base Black by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Equatore is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic lamp with a glass shade. While the traditional abat-jour uses the shade to contain the light source within, in this family ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Fontana Arte Large Gray Glass Dish or Centerpiece Model 1419
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in New York, NY
Fontana Arte large gray glass dish or centerpiece with profiled and curved glass resting on an angular fitted black enameled metal base, Italy, c. 1956. This gray glass is a rare colorway in this model and the form is quite elegant in its curved form.
Literture:
Roberto Aloi, Esempi di Decorazione Moderna di Tutto il mondo, Vetri d’Oggi, Milan, 1955, p.54 (picture 11)
Franco Deboni, Fontana Arte : Gio Ponti, Pietra Chiesa...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
AVICO - Small Suspension Lamp - White Polymer Shade by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Suspension lamp with diffused and dimmable light. Chromed metal frame. White polyethylene diffuser. Available separately a optional polycarbonate locking disc with telescopic stem an...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
EQUATORE - Medium Table Lamp - Metal Base Matt Gold by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Equatore is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic lamp with a glass shade. While the traditional abat-jour uses the shade to contain the light source within, in this family ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
EQUATORE - Medium Floor Lamp - Metal Base Matt Gold by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Equatore is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic lamp with a glass shade. While the traditional abat-jour uses the shade to contain the light source within, in this family ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
PALLINA - Small Table Lamp - Brass Metal Base by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The perfection of glass and sphere to create the most essential object of the collection. A must-have for every space of the house, inspired by the Italian theatre and Broadway music...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
FONTANA 1853 - Small Table Lamp - White Satin Glass by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Designed in 1954 by the famous French Master glassmaker and decorator Max Ingrand, this lamp was originally named 1853 and, at a later time, Fontana, in homage to the company of whic...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
PANGEN - Ceiling Lamp - White by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This lampshade is a fluid, minimal dome shape, its lacquer finish and modern colors ensuring surprising lighting. Available in suspension and ceiling mounted versions.
Ceiling lamp ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
CHESHIRE - Table Lamp - Black Metal Base by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
It echoes the studio’s Nordic imprint in its simplicity and functional aspects. The opaline polycarbonate diffuser ensures soft lighting, while the colored one spreads the light down...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
BIANCA - Medium Ceiling/Wall Lamp - White Frosted Glass Shade by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Bianca is a family of luminaires with the decoration on the diffuser surface features an orderly series of shallow delicate grooves etched into the white glass, yielding an effect re...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
PINECONE - Medium Suspension Lamp - Chrome Plated Metal by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Pinecone is a suspension and table lamp. The diffuser is manufactured using the ancient caged blown glass technique: the glass maker blows the molten glass blob into a metal cage, wh...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
PINECONE - Medium Suspension Lamp - Gold Plated Metal by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Pinecone is a suspension and table lamp. The diffuser is manufactured using the ancient caged blown glass technique: the glass maker blows the molten glass blob into a metal cage, wh...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Fontana Arte crystal vase and metal
By Fontana Arte
Located in Monaco, MC
How chic is this vase?
Lovely Fontana Arte production of the 60's.
Blue mirrored glass and a piece of metal ready to hold a single flower.
Perfect condition
More information u...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Crystal
PANGEN - Suspension Lamp - White by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This lampshade is a fluid, minimal dome shape, its lacquer finish and modern colors ensuring surprising lighting. Available in suspension and ceiling mounted versions.
Suspension la...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Studio Fontana Arte Cornice, in Vetro Curvato, Cornice Porta Ritratti
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, MI
30x24 cm
Composta da due fogli di vetro accostati.
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Glass
Pair of 1960's Fontana Arte Chrome and Frosted Glass Sconces
By Fontana Arte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of 1960's Fontana Arte chrome and frosted glass sconces.
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Glass
Italian Midcentury Chrome and Glass Fontana Arte Style Light Fixture, circa 1970
By Fontana Arte
Located in North Miami, FL
Thick curved glass contrasts with thin enameled chrome in this circa 1970 Italian ceiling light in the manner of Fontana Arte. Wired for U.S.. Measurements below are for fixture only...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Chrome
Italian Design Classic Table Lamp by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, 1970s
By Fontana Arte, Pietro Chiesa
Located in Renens, CH
Model 0836 table lamp by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte.
The lamp consists of a heavy glass base, brass metal structure and an adjustable glass shade, it remains in beautiful con...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Single Model 2098 by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Single Model 2098.2 by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa the 1960s. Smoked grey tinted panels paired with an etched bottom diffuser. Fixture hol...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Brass
EQUATORE - Small Floor Lamp - Galvanized Metal Base Chrome by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Equatore is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic lamp with a glass shade. While the traditional abat-jour uses the shade to contain the light source within, in this family ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
EQUATORE - Medium Floor Lamp - Galvanized Metal Body by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Equatore is a contemporary reinterpretation of the classic lamp with a glass shade. While the traditional abat-jour uses the shade to contain the light source within, in this family ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
BILIA MINI - Small Table Lamp - White Metal Base by Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Nothing more than a sphere, set in an apparently impossible feat of balance, upon a cone that serves as the base. One of Gio Ponti’s many compositional magic tricks, designed in 1932...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Small 1970s Chandelier by Quattro Zero
By Quattro Zero Edited By Fontana Arte, Fontana Arte
Located in Paris, FR
Small 1970s chandelier by Quattro Zero, made with elements of cut glass.
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Metal
Model 2202 Brass and Crystal Glass Table Lamps by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte, Max Ingrand
Located in Almelo, NL
Model 2202 Brass and Crystal Glass Table Lamps by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, Italy 1960s
Model 2202 Brass and Crystal Glass Table Lamps by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. This lamp...
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Fontana Arte Furniture
Materials
Crystal, Brass
Fontana Arte furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Fontana Arte furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Fontana Arte furniture, although beige editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Fontana Arte were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Stilnovo, Barovier&Toso, and Gaetano Sciolari. Prices for Fontana Arte furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,200 and can go as high as $42,800, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $10,400.
Creators Similar to Fontana Arte
Questions About Fontana Arte Furniture
- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025Painting is the type of art that made Lavinia Fontana famous. Specifically, the 16th-century Bolognese artist became widely known for her portraiture; from her commissions, she could financially support her entire family. Some of her best-known works include Portrait of a Noblewoman and Portrait of the Gozzadini Family. On 1stDibs, shop a diverse assortment of fine art.
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