While working under the polymath Gio Ponti — arguably the most important figure in 20th-century Italian modernism — furniture designer Franco Albini nurtured a love for modern forms combined with traditional craft techniques.
Albini is widely known for working with organic materials such as rattan and cane for his chairs and other seating, but he also played a pivotal role in the Italian rationalist movement of the early 20th century, which saw architects and furniture makers applying a strict emphasis on geometry in their work. Rationalists drew on Ancient Roman architecture but rejected ornament, much in the way that Le Corbusier and celebrated Bauhaus figures such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had in their modernist furniture.
Albini received his degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1929, and, in 1931, he founded his practice in Milan, where he tackled workers’ housing and other reconstruction projects. A gifted urban planner, he also developed the Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso and Tesoro di San Lorenzo museums in Genoa. While Albini is revered for his Margherita chair — a Triennale Milano award winner created for Bonacina in 1951 — he also collaborated with manufacturers Poggi and Cassina in the 1940s on seating, tables and more that embodied his artistic vision. Of that mid-century work, the one piece that perhaps best captures this vision is the iconic Luisa chair.
With its cherry red upholstery and sinuous wooden legs that seem to float aboveground, the Luisa is a genuine masterpiece. It is also a testament to Albini’s perfectionism, as it endured several prototypes — including one made by Knoll in the late 1940s — and took approximately 15 years to design. Poggi launched the final version of the armchair in 1955, earning Albini the prestigious Compasso d’Oro from Italy’s Association for Industrial Design. It is produced today by Cassina. Albini named the chair for someone who likely saw the process firsthand: his personal secretary of two decades, Luisa Colombini.
Find vintage Franco Albini furniture on 1stDibs.
Franco Albini Rare prototype Brass Dish for Vanzetti Milano, Italy 1931/33
By Franco Albini
Located in Milan, IT
Franco Albini Rare prototype Brass Dish or Ashtray. Manufactured by Vanzetti Milano, Italy 1931/33 Unmarked. Reference: A. Piva, V. Prina, - Franco Albini 1905-1977 1998, pg. 4...
Brass
$1,183Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 1.97 in Dm 5.91 in
Angelo Mangiarotti Italian Ceramic Barbados Ashtrays Set for Danese Milano 1964
By Danese Milano, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
Italian midcentury moderrn design wbrown enameled ceramic ashtray centerpiece set of three Barbados series designed by Angelo Mangiarotti for Danese Milano in 1964, marked Danese Mil...
Ceramic
Midcentury Italian Murano Champagne Art Glass Clamshell Dish
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Midcentury, Murano, Italian, hand-blown, art glass clamshell dish or ashtray is embellished with gold flecks creating an overall light champagne tone that shimmers beautifully in the...
Art Glass
$168
H 2.38 in W 5.5 in D 5.5 in
Vintage Italian Lavender Art Glass Dish with Swirled Edges by V.A.N. Crystal
Located in Toronto, CA
This exquisite lavender art glass dish was handblown in Italy by V.A.N. Crystal during the mid-20th century, a period celebrated for its innovation in Murano-inspired glass design. T...
Blown Glass
$2,136Sale Price|20% Off
H 2.37 in W 6.89 in D 6.11 in
Large Cenedese Italian Asymmetric Blue Sommerso Murano Glass Bowl, Dish, Ashtray
By Cenedese, Antonio da Ros
Located in Landau an der Isar, Bayern
Antonio da Ros (attributed) for Cenedese large and heavy vintage Italian Murano glass bowl, serving dish or ashtray, circa 1965-1975. Utilizing the Sommerso technique this large, hea...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
$587
H 0.79 in W 5.12 in D 3.54 in
Mid-Century Italian Ashtray by S. Pellegrino for Stimpla Milano, 1964
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Italian Ashtray by S. Pellegrino for Stimpla Milano, 1964, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional information: Mat...
Plastic
Antique Bird, Ashtray in Brass, Italy, 1920s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Small chubby bird ashtray in cast brass. Very detailed and a great deep patina. Anonymous Italian maker, circa 1920. Alternatively it can be used as a sma...
Brass
$2,130Sale Price|20% Off
H 2.64 in Dm 6.42 in
Large Cenedese Italian Asymmetric Blue Sommerso Murano Glass Bowl, Dish, Ashtray
By Antonio da Ros, Cenedese
Located in Landau an der Isar, Bayern
Antonio da Ros (attributed) for Cenedese large & heavy vintage midcentury Italian Murano glass geode bowl, serving dish or ashtray, circa 1965-1975. Utilizing the Sommerso technique ...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
$943
H 3.55 in W 5.44 in D 2.68 in
Rare Walter Bosse for Herta Baller Brass Fish Sculpture Ashtray. Austria, 1950s.
By Werkstätte Hagenauer Wien, Richard Rohac, Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Malmö, SE
Large and rare fish sculpture / ashtray / bowl in solid brass. Designed by Walter Bosse for Herta Baller in Vienna, Austria, 1950s. Great original condition, with amazing patina. ...
Metal, Brass
1931 Rene Lalique Astray Pintray Rapace Bird Glass with Grey Patina
By René Lalique
Located in Boulogne Billancourt, FR
Ashtray Pintray "Rapace" made in molded glass with grey patina by Rene Lalique in 1931. Stamped signature on bottom. Perfect condition. height : 6 cm diameter : 12 cm Félix Ma...
Blown Glass
$265Sale Price|46% Off
H 7.5 in Dm 16 in
Franco Albini Wicker Basket, Mid-Century Modern Italian Design, 1967
By Franco Albini
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Franco Albini Style Wicker Basket. Measures 16" across and 7.5" tall. Statement piece that is beautifully made! Perfect for the center of any Ta...
Wicker
$650
H 3.15 in W 5.91 in D 5.91 in
Squash Limited Color Edition Gold Ashtray Maria Sanchez for Memphis-Milano
By Maria Sanchez, Memphis Milano
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Limited color edition Squash gold by Maria Sanchez for Memphis-Milano. Brand new item.
Ceramic
Vintage Murano Star Flower Shape Art Glass Dish, Italy
By Compagnia Di Venezia E Murano (C.V.M.)
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage hand crafted Murano star flower Art glass dish Italy. Stunning petaled flower or 6 pointed star-shaped hand blown glass dish in clear and pink, bl...
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass