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Gaetano Sciolari

Italian, 1927-1994

The work of celebrated mid-century Italian lighting designer and entrepreneur Angelo Gaetano Sciolari became widely popular in the United States during the postwar years and strongly influenced lighting makers around the world. The sculptural forms and striking geometric details of his vintage floor lamps, chandeliers and other fixtures fit seamlessly into the mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency interiors of the day.

Sciolari formally studied architecture but also pursued filmmaking for a short period. When his father passed away in 1949, Sciolari took the reins at his family's company, Sciolari Lighting, which had been in business in Rome since 1892. The manufacturer expanded considerably under Gaetano’s leadership. For one, pioneering American lighting company Lightolier, in New York City, began to import the Italian brand’s lighting for the U.S. market, and Lightolier’s star designer, Gerald Thurston, was significantly influenced by Gaetano’s work. In the 1970s, Americans looking to add provocative fixtures created by Gaetano Sciolari to their living rooms could find them in Lightolier catalogs.

Sciolari initially crafted lamps and sconces that bore the hallmarks of traditional Italian design. But during the 1950s, when he would become the in-house designer for legendary Milan lighting manufacturer Stilnovo — one of the leaders of Italian postwar design — he created revolutionary fixtures that endured as his best-known work.

Sciolari drew on a range of influences — enthusiasts see the imprint of Art Deco, brutalism and more in his lighting — and designed futuristic Space Age chandeliers, ceiling lamps and pendants for Stilnovo as well as Stilkronen and S.A. Boulanger that defied the conventions of the time. A dizzying array of materials and finishes characterizes the designer’s work, while geometry is pronounced in each sculptural fixture — there are blown opal glass spheres, polished chrome tubes and brass square bulb holders. These combinations were critical to the development of dazzling lighting that proves eye-catching in any space decades later.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Angelo Gaetano Sciolari lighting today.

Average Sold Price
$3,212
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Two Gaetano Sciolari Crystal Drops Chandeliers
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Antwerp, BE
Two Gaetano Sciolari Crystal Drops Chandeliers. Materials: Round lampshade made of chromed metal rods, tubes and parts in iron and brass. Black rectangular rods. Thin brass rods. Cr...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Crystal, Chrome, Metal

One of Two Italian Chrome Loop Chandeliers by Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Antwerp, BE
One of two of 1970s chrome band loop chandeliers by Gaetano Sciolari. Diameter 50 cm. Height fixture 31 cm. Please note that price is per item not f...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Mid-Century Modernist Eight Arm Chrome & Brass Chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in New York, NY
This stunning and materially dynamic Mid-Century Modernist Eight Arm Chrome & Brass Chandelier is by the esteemed designer Gaetano Sciolari. This piece originates from Italy, Circa 1...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Brass, Chrome

Set of Sciolari 1960 Space Age Italian Mid Century Wall Lamps
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in New York, NY
A set of 3 and 2 light Space Age chrome And brass wall lamps by famed Italian lighting maker, Sciolari. Rewired. 3 light wall lamp measures 14”H x 10.5” W x 6” Deep. 2 light wall lam...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Brass, Chrome

Gaetano Scolari for Stilnovo Adjustable Ceiling Light Model A5011, 1950
By Stilnovo, Gaetano Sciolari
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Gaetano Scolari for Stilnovo adjustable counterweight ceiling or suspension light model A5011, Italy, 1950. This modernist ceiling or pendant light is composed of a blac...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Metal, Brass

1970s Mid-Century Modern Brass Italian Chandelier or Ceiling Light by Sciolari
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Aci Castello, IT
An iconic brass chandelier designed by Gaetano Sciolari in the Seventies. The chandelier it also can be used as a ceiling or wall light not using brass cili...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Brass

Sciolari Chrome and Glass Chandelier
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in London, GB
A Sciolari chrome chandelier with 20 glass and chrome drops, surrounding a four-light chrome fitting in the centre. Suspended on chains from a chrome ceiling plate. Re-wired for UK f...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Chrome, Metal

Sputnik Ceiling Lamp Dandelion from Gaetano Sciolari, 1970s
By Gaetano Sciolari
Located in Saarburg, RP
Sputnik ceiling lamp by Sciolary - 1970s. The striking design of this ceiling lamp consists of delicate chrome leaves that radiate from the central core. The arrangement is reminisc...
Category

1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Gaetano Sciolari

Materials

Metal, Chrome

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Gaetano Sciolari furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Gaetano Sciolari 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 Gaetano Sciolari furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Gaetano Sciolari were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Carlo Nason, Mazzega Murano, and Barovier&Toso. Prices for Gaetano Sciolari furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $122 and can go as high as $22,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,588.

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