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Fontana Arte Centerpieces

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
Fontana Arte Centerpiece Glass, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte.
Category

1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

Fontana Arte Centerpiece Glass Bicolor 1950 Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Category

1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

Fontana Arte Centerpiece Glass 1940 Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Category

1940s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

Fontana Arte Centerpiece/Svuota Tasche Glass, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte centerpiece svuota tasche glass, 1950, Italy.
Category

1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

Ettore Sottsass for Fontana Arte Vase Model 2665
By Ettore Sottsass, Fontana Arte
Located in New York, NY
Ettore Sottsass for Fontana Arte rare large graphic colored crystal vase consisting of dark blue central square cylinder with attached brown tria...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Art Glass

Italian mid-century modern Sail object holder Centerpiece by Fontana Arte, 1960s
By Fontana Arte
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern Sail-shaped object holder or Centerpiece by Fontana Arte, 1960s Sail-shaped object holder made entirely of thick, water-green glass. The tips of the triang...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

Italian Mid Century Fontana Arte Glass Pocket Emptier, signed FX, 1950s
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Meda, MB
Beautiful glass pocket emptier Attr. Max Ingrand produced in Italy around the 50s/60s by Fontana Arte. Signed 'FX'. In Very good vintage condition.
Category

1950s Italian Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass, Art Glass

Fontana Arte 1960's Large Smoke Grey Curved Glass Centrepiece Tray
By Fontana Arte
Located in New York, NY
Fontana Arte 1960's large smoke grey glass centerpiece tray, with beveled curved edges. Signed with white acid stamp on bottom, Fontana Arte.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Art Glass

Fontana Arte Pietro Chiesa Ashtray/Empty Pockets Glass, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte Pietro Chiesa ashtray/empty pockets glass 1950 Italy.
Category

1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

Max Ingrand centerpiece Model 2331 for Fontana Arte, Italy, 1960s
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
An elegant centerpiece crafted in faceted crystal, burnished brass, and nickel-plated brass, model 2331 from the prestigious Fontana Arte manufacturing, designed by the renowned Max ...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Brass

Fontana Arte Italian Mid-Century Modern Crystal Ashtray or Centrepiece, 1950s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Italian midcentury tray of coins, ashtray or centrepiece in cut crystal produced by Fontana Arte, 1950s. Please note that the item is original of the period and this shows normal si...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Crystal

Fontana Arte Pietro Chiesa Empty Pockets/Ashtray/Centerpiece Glass, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte Pietro Chiesa empty pockets/ashtray/centerpiece glass, 1950, Italy.
Category

1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

20th Century Fontana Arte Max Ingrand Centerpiece 2039 in Colored Glass
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Turin, Turin
Very beautiful Centerpiece designed by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, model 2039, designed in '60s. The Bowl has a base in silvered metal and then it is entirely in colored glass (ora...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Metal

Fontana Arte Centerpiece/ Pocket Emptier Blu Glass 1950 Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Category

1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

Fontana Arte Couple Empty Pockets Glass, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte couple empty pockets glass, 1950, Italy.
Category

1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

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 Centerpieces

Materials

Glass

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Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, Large Curved Pink Crystal Centerpiece, 1960s
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Fontana Arte Pietro Chiesa Ashtray/Empty Pockets Glass, 1950, Italy
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1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

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Blue Fruit Bowl "Model 1419" by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, 1960s
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Brussels, BE
Blue Fruit Bowl "Model 1419" by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, 1960s Mid-Century Modern. Designer Biography : "Max Ingrand was born in 1908 in Bress...
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1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces

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Fontana Arte Curved Crystal Centerpiece, Italy, 1950s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Naples, IT
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Fontana Arte Beveled Curved Glass Bowl or Dish Signed, 1960s
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Located in London, GB
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Fontana Arte Italian Midcentury Pocket Tray Ashtray, 1950s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Naples, IT
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Fontana Arte Italian Midcentury Pocket Tray Ashtray, 1950s
By Fontana Arte
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Fontana Arte centerpieces for sale on 1stDibs.

Fontana Arte centerpieces are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of glass and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Fontana Arte centerpieces, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original centerpieces 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 centerpieces by Archimede Seguso, Richard Ginori, and Venini. Prices for Fontana Arte centerpieces can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $334 and can go as high as $7,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,951.
Questions About Fontana Arte Centerpieces
  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025
    Painting 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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