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
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
$1,181Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 1.97 in Dm 5.91 in
Angelo Mangiarotti Italian Ceramic Barbados Ashtrays Set for Danese Milano 1964
By Angelo Mangiarotti, Danese Milano
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
$134Sale Price|20% Off
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
$2,124Sale 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
Italian Sculptural Brass Ashtray Signedby Bellotto, Italy, 1970s
By Bellotto Argenterie
Located in Roma, IT
Elegant and unique ashtray in solid brass, designed and produced by Bellotto in Italy during the 1970s. It is signed on the inside. This sculptural ashtray is in amazing condition a...
Brass
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
$939
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, Herta Baller, Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Walter Bosse
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
$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
$2,127Sale Price|20% Off
H 2.64 in Dm 6.42 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 & heavy vintage midcentury Italian Murano glass geode bowl, serving dish or ashtray, circa 1965-1975. Utilizing the Sommerso technique ...
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Assortment of Five Small Indian Repoussé Brass Decorative Dish Bowls
Located in Yonkers, NY
An assortment of give unique Indian brass bracelets from the 19th century that could be used as ashtrays or candy dishes. Charming our eyes with their intricate designs, this assortm...
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
Mid-Century Italian Ashtray or Catchall Dish by Aldo Londi for Bitossi c.1950
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT An original Aldo Lodi for Bitossi glazed ceramic ashtray or catchall dish. Imprinted with "B" indicating an earlier example. CREATOR Aldo Lodi for Bitossi, Italy. D...
Ceramic