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
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
Max Ingrand centerpiece Model 2331 for Fontana Arte, Italy, 1960s
By Fontana Arte, Max Ingrand
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 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
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
Fontana Arte Centerpiece/ Pocket Emptier Blu Glass 1950 Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte Centerpiece.
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
20th Century Fontana Arte Max Ingrand Centerpiece 2039 in Colored Glass
By Fontana Arte, Max Ingrand
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/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
Fontana Arte Centerpiece Glass Bicolor 1950 Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte Centerpiece
Category
1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
Materials
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 Centerpiece Glass 1940 Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte Centerpiece.
Category
1940s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
Materials
Glass
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 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 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
Fontana Arte Lidded Glass Bowl by Max Ingrand.Signed
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Glass and metal covered dish by Fontana Arte , model 2004,circa 1960"s designed by Max Ingrand.
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
Materials
Glass
Fontana Arte Empty Pocket or Ashtray, Italy 1950s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Naples, IT
Fontana Arte, pocket tray or ash tray or centerpiece in cut glass circular base with four concave circles inside from 1950s.
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
Materials
Glass
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Midcentury Pietro Chiesa Carved Crystal Glass Italian Ashtray for Fontana Arte
By Fontana Arte, Pietro Chiesa
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Amazing midcentury carved crystal glass ashtray. This wonderful item was designed by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte in Italy during 1960s.
This piece is unique as it has two carved sides and two straight ones and tone of the crystal, that is a very elegant water marine.
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depth - 20
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Pietro Chiesa (1892-1948) was an Italian designer who specialised in modernist and Art Deco designs. Chiesa was one of the founding members of FontanaArte which was established in 1932, and as its artistic director, he designed hundreds of items ranging from furniture to objets d’art. A member of the Swiss Ticino family of artists, Chiesa is best known for his glass furnishing pieces, such as the Fontana table.
Fontana Arte (established in 1933) was founded by Luigi Fontana, Gio Ponti, and Pietro Chiesa as a premier producer and marketer of furniture, lighting, and furnishing accessories, and distignuished itself applying the highest standards of glass craftsmanship and techniques. Throughout Fontana Arte’s history, its lamps and furniture have been highly sought after due to their superior glass craftsmanship and innovative design.
Saint-Gobain Invests in Luigi Fontanta e Compagni
The origins of Fontana Arte go back to 1881, when Luigi Fontana established Luigi Fontana e Compagni to produce and market sheet glass for the construction industry. Luigi’s success as an entrepreneur in the growing Italian construction sector attracted the attention of the French glass-making company Saint-Gobain, which, in 1910, took a majority stake in the ownership of Luigi Fontana e Compagni transforming it into a “Società Anonima” still under the direction of Luigi Fontana. By the mid-1920s, Fontana e Compagni’s capabilities included the creation of artistic stained glass that was mostly used in functional and decorative settings of churches and cathedrals.
Gio Ponti Becomes Fontana e Compagni’s Artistic Director
In just a few years, the production of such artistic stained-glass products had become of such importance that a different division within the Fontana e Compagni was created to further its development. In 1930, Luigi Fontana met the successful young Milanese architect Gio Ponti, who was then the art director of Richard-Ginori pottery company, and they formed a partnership, under the name of Luigi Fontana SA, for the production of light fixtures, furniture, and furnishing objects. During this initial period, Gio Ponti designed from Fontana Arte the now-iconic 0024 Pendant light (1931) and the Bilia Table Lamp (1931).
Pietro Chiesa, Gio Ponti, and Luigi Fontana Found Fontana Arte
In 1932, Gio Ponti approached Pietro Chiesa to join him and Luigi Fontana and to become Luigi Fontana SA’s artistic director. In 1933, Pietro Chiesa merged his studio, the Bottega di Pietro Chiesa, with Fontana SA, and together Luigi Fontana, Gio Ponti, and Chiesa founded Fontana Arte. During Chiesa’s tenure as artistic director, Fontana Arte’s production became rich and varied. It included furniture, tables, mirrors, sculptures, and stained glass, but it was certainly in the lighting sector where Fontana Arte excelled by creating lamps and lights with the highest standards in glass craftsmanship and modern designs. From this period came the Luminator floor lamp, the Cartoccio glass vase, and the Fontana Arte table made out of a single band of bent clear glass, (all designed by Pietro Chiesa, in 1932); and the Naska lamp...
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Senape Flower Vase Ettore Sottsass Japanese Urushi Laquer Model B
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Fontana Arte Centerpiece/Svuota Tasche Glass, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte centerpiece svuota tasche glass, 1950, Italy.
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1950s Italian Other Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
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H 3.55 in W 20.08 in D 13.39 in
Freeform Fontana Arte 1950s Glass Ashtray
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Midcentury Aldo Londi Blue Ceramic Italian Centerpiece for Bitossi, 1960s
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Previously Available Items
Green Fruit Bowl by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, 'Model 1419', circa 1960
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in London, GB
Elegant fruit bowl by Max Ingrand. Fontana Arte. Italy circa 1960
Beautiful vintage condition.
No defects.
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
Materials
Brass
H 3.55 in W 20.87 in D 13.39 in
Fontana Arte Green Glass Centerpiece, Italy, 1970s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Naples, IT
Large centrepiece in thickly ground green glass Fontana Arte 1970
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Glass
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.
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H 0.79 in W 9.06 in D 8.67 in
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.
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Blue Fruit Bowl "Model 1419" by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, 1960s
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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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Fontana Arte beveled curved glass bowl or dish signed, 1960s.
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Fontana Arte Italian Midcentury Pocket Tray Ashtray, 1950s
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Located in Naples, IT
Fontana Arte, pocket tray or ash tray or centerpiece in cut glass circular base with four concave circles inside from 1950s.
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Fontana Arte Italian Midcentury Pocket Tray Ashtray, 1950s
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Located in Naples, IT
Fontana Arte, pocket tray or ash tray or centerpiece in cut glass circular base with four concave circles inside from 1950s.
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1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
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Glass
Ettore Sottsass for Fontana Arte Vase Model 2664
By Fontana Arte, Ettore Sottsass
Located in New York, NY
Ettore Sottsass for Fontana Arte dark blue crystal vase with light blue crystal geometric attached semi-circle shapes on rectangular dark blue crystal base.
Literature:
Design aus I...
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1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
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Splendid Fontana Arte Mod. 2191 Centrepiece
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milan, IT
Splendid Fontana Arte Mod. 2191 centrepiece.
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
Materials
Glass
Max Ingrand Candlesticks
By Fontana Arte, Max Ingrand
Located in New York, NY
Rare pair of candlesticks, #2422 by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. Pair of five-light candlesticks with square solid-glass rods and nickled-brass mounts. Rods joined near the bottom w...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fontana Arte Centerpieces
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.
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